A Fallen Angel
by TheMainSlayer
Summary: Angel has been missing for three years and when Buffy and company finally locate him, what they find is far from what they ever would have suspected.
1. Chapter 1

Title: **A Fallen Angel**  
Written by: The Main Slayer  
Summary: Angel has been missing for three years since the fall of Los Angeles and Wolfram & Hart. During which time Buffy and friends have spent endless hours and manpower trying to track him down. Finally their search has paid off, but what they find is not what they were expecting.  
Rating:  
Disclaimer: I own nothing; everything belongs to Joss and co.

**Prologue**

_Galway, Ireland 1753_

Within hours he was awake. Slowly his eyes fluttered open as his still form remained on the ground. He took in the view around the tiny house, slowly he raised his hand then his arm. Carefully he raised his other arm to touch his face. He looked to his left and his right there were small patches of blood as he looked up he saw some more blood on the wall. His neck hurt; moving his hands to his neck he felt the large open wound that would permanently scar him. He brought his fingers away and saw blood. He felt sick, slowly moving, the man tried to stand. His legs felt like jelly, they didn't want to respond to him but he forced them. Slowly they tucked under his lean frame and allowed him to stand. The living room was as he remembered it. The table was over turned, the chairs thrown around the room. The fire in the hearth was crackling as the embers slowly burned down. The man picked his way through the room picking up chairs and turning the table upright. He wasn't sure why he went through the room doing such mundane tasks, but for some reason they made him feel normal. Suddenly, a noise came from the front hall; there was a shuffling of feet and a soft whimper. The man, realizing that he was not alone, ran towards the front hall. A small body started to move when he approached. The man bent down and turned the young girl over. She had been crying and a similar wound to his own was on her neck. Recognition shined in her eyes and she threw her arms around his neck.

"Father!" She cried. The man held her close and buried his face in her hair.

"It's all right. I'm here now." He picked her up and carried her over to one of the four chairs in the tiny dining room. He placed her down gently and took her face in his hand, "Let me look at you." He stared into her eyes and smiled. She was all right considering.

"What…I don't understand. How did this happen? Why would he do this to us?" She cried reaching towards her father again.

"Shh, don't think of it. Stay here and must go and find your mother." She gripped his shirt and held on.

"No, please don't leave me! He might…"

"I don't think he'll be coming back." He said. She released his shirt and began to cry again. The man walked back towards the front hall and past the door. He knelt down next to his wife and touched her face. Slowly her eyes opened as he pushed her hair away reveling yet another neck wound.

"Marie? Marie, are you all right?" He asked. Slowly he helped her into a sitting position and held her face. In that moment, no one looked more beautiful than her. It had taken them years to fall in love with each other, but there was no way he could live without her now. Tears fell down her face as she looked into her husband's eyes.

"Ciaran? What happened?" She asked.

"Come, we must go back to Catherine." Ciaran helped his wife up and slowly they walked back to the dining room where Catherine was waiting. Marie left her husband's side and ran to her daughter. Catherine threw her arms around her mother's neck and began to cry. Ciaran took in the scene around him. He knew what had happened but he couldn't wrap his head around it. His son had been here, Liam, and he had killed them all. His son had become a monster, a demon; there would be no controlling him. His son was lost forever. But why were they alive? They should be dead. Marie turned from her daughter and looked into the confused face of her husband. She rose and walked towards him.

"Ciaran? What is it?" She asked.

"I don't know. We should not be here. We should be…"

"Dead." Marie finished. Ciaran nodded. A knock sounded behind them. Abruptly Ciaran turned to see a tall man in a suit standing in their doorway. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail and his expression said that he was a man of high standing. He strolled into their small home with four others in tow. Ciaran recognized them. Tomas Bristol emerged into the small doorway with his wife Nora and children, Alanna and Murtagh in tow. The tall man stopped and clasped his hands together smiling at the group.

"Who are you?" Ciaran demanded.

"I am your ticket to survival." Said the man. Alanna clung to her brother as he supported her up. Ciaran noticed that they too had similar wounds on their neck to his own. His son had killed them too. Ciaran lowered his gaze and shook his head.

"What is going on Ciaran?" Tomas asked.

"I…I don't know." He responded. Nora walked towards Marie and put her arms around her friend. They hugged briefly and then turned back to face the man that none of them knew.

"Think of this as a second chance. Your only chance. Your lives now are simply a gift They have given to you."

"They?" Tomas asked.

"Yes, the Senior Partners, an organization that I work for. They have given you your lives back…" Ciaran cut him off.

"In exchange for what?" He demanded.

"Oh nothing in particular, just when we need you, we'll call you."

"Did you do this to my son! Did you turn him into a monster!" Marie demanded running towards him. Ciaran caught her and held her back. She struggled in his arms for a moment then relaxed against his chest.

"No. No that was something entirely different. However, we have big plans for him. Your son will be greater than you could ever imagine and we have every intention of following his career very thoroughly." The man went back towards the door and closed it, "Now there are a few ground rules to this gift we have given you."

"Gift? You think this is a gift?" Ciaran demanded, "this is not a gift, this is damnation you have placed upon our shoulders."

"Oh now Mr. O'Connor, don't be so angry. You get the chance to live through the ages, an ageless man. How can you tell me that is not a gift?" Ciaran frowned and crossed his arms. "Now, you will listen. I know that you heard what I said, ageless. You, your wife, Tomas and Nora will never age a day. Not, of course, until your contract is up with us."

"I will sign no such contract!" Tomas yelled.

"Oh, but you already have, being alive is the beginning of your contract. The four of you will not age. Your children, Alanna, Murtagh, and Catherine, will age at a slower rate until a certain point and then they will continue on as normal humans. Now remember, everything about you is still human. But you need to be careful about where you stay and how long you are there. You can't let anyone know that you are, special."

"This is insane! You can't do this to us! What have we done…" Murtagh began but was cut off.

"What have you done? You are the reason Liam, or shall I say, Angelus, hates humanity. You are the only thing that links the demon known as Angelus to humanity. That is your curse. Now remember what I've told you, live your lives, and one day we will call on you and your contract will be over."

"I don't understand. Why do you need us?" Nora asked in a quiet voice.

"We need you simply as a tool to use against your son if he becomes dangerous to our organization. That is all you need to know." The man turned back around and opened the door to leave. Alanna began to cry and Murtagh wrapped his arms around his sister. Ciaran still couldn't believe all this. He had no idea what was going on and why this was happening right after his son's death and their murder.

"We don't even know your name! How will we contact you!" He shouted after him.

"You won't contact me, I'll contact you. As for my name…just call me Hamilton." The man turned away and disappeared into the night. Ciaran stood in his small home with Tomas and his family unsure of what to do next. Tomas must have felt the same way.

"Ciaran, what do we do now?" He asked, hands on his hips.

"We…" Ciaran took in a breath and sighed loudly, "We do what he says. It's the only thing we can do."

"You can't expect us to play along with this…"

"I don't think we have much of a choice. That Hamilton has done something to us and it has something to do with the fate of my son. We have to continue living, so we might as well follow his rules."

"This is insane." Tomas said, but Ciaran knew his friend had finally come to the same conclusion.

"Yes it is. But as I said, what other choice do we have?" Ciaran surveyed the room and smiled at his daughter. She smiled back, her eyes heavy with pain and hurt. Ciaran walked towards her and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She smiled and leaned her head against his arm. Maybe this was a blessing and maybe it wasn't, one thing was for sure Ciaran knew that it would not be an easy road.

**Chapter 1**

_Los Angeles, California 2005_

"I've had enough of this!" Came a booming voice, a chair flew across the room and shattering into numerous pieces. Hamilton stood at the end of the long room with his hands folded in front of him. He cocked his head to the side looking down at the splintered chair, and then raised his head to look at the woman on the other end of the room. She had become so enraged that her supermodel looks had begun to shift into a disfigured demon with large horns and red skin. He had to hand it to the Senior Partners, when they went all out they sure went all out. He remained silent as the demon on the other end of the room paced back and forth, smoke rising from her nostrils.

"I agree, but what can we do? We'd have to kill him to end it." Hamilton offered. The demon turned to face him and growled.

"Don't you think we've thought of that!" It shouted, "We can't kill him. He is too vital to everything we have worked towards. We have decided not to kill him, but to simply remove him from the situation."

"Remove him? How?" Hamilton asked. The demon seemed to calm down as her features returned to a more human form.

"We're going to make him and his friends disappear." She sat down and ran her fingers through her hair letting it fall around her face. She crossed her legs and rested her hands on the arms of the chair.

"What is their plan?"

"Our plan will be revealed in time."

"Ah, are we finally going to use our secret weapon?" The demon smiled and leaned forward.

"It is time that their contract be fulfilled."

"How are we to do this? He won't go lightly…"

"Not to worry. He won't even know he's doing it." She said. She smiled at Hamilton and leaned away from the desk with a wicked smile spreading across her lips, "Hamilton, bring them to me and this will all end." Hamilton bowed and walked out of the room.

--

A bright light hit Angel in the face. He winced away from it and tried to move but found he was bound in place. He shifted slightly and cried out in pain. His arms were chained to the roof of what appeared to be a large warehouse. To his left he saw Spike and Gunn. To his right he saw Illyria and Connor. Angel tried to talk but no sound came out there was only pain. Suddenly a new pain shot through him. A needle in the back of his neck shot a hot liquid into his body. A figure stepped in front of the light but all he saw was shadows. His vision began to blur then he heard a laugh.

"This will all be over soon. Not to worry. You've caused us enough trouble, now its time for it all to end." Angel tried to focus but his mind began to wander. All of a sudden his dead heart began to race, his pulse quickened, and his breath, which had been dead for over two hundred years, caught when his mind went blank.

--

_Galway, Ireland 2005_

A knock came at the door that caused Ciaran to look up from his book. He took his reading glasses off his face; he waited a moment to see if the maid would answer the door; when she didn't he stood and walked out of his office to answer to continuous sound that pounded his door. He slowly unlocked it and stared into the face of a man he hadn't seen in over two hundred years.

"Well if wonders never seize, Hamilton was it?" He opened the door and allowed the man to step into his home.

"Mr. O'Connor. It is so good to see you." Hamilton allowed Ciaran to close the door and followed him into the living room. Ciaran's living room was large with huge bay windows. Hamilton admired the artwork and paintings and remained standing when Ciaran sat.

"I suppose you are here for a reason."

"We always have a reason."

"What is it this time?" Hamilton walked around the room and smiled.

"You have done well for yourself. This large home, a very prominent position in city council…your son-in-law is the mayor is he not? You have managed to do everything that we told you and have never been caught. Now it is time to fulfill what I had told you about all those years ago."

"Actually, you told me nothing. Just that one day you would come calling and here you are. So tell me, what is it that we must fulfill?" Hamilton handed Ciaran a yellow envelope with a smile on his face.

"You will be receiving a phone call with regards to your estranged son. I suggest you take the call and make something of it. In that envelope is some money, fake documents and the like. Some instructions also with regards to the medication you will find enclosed as well." Hamilton turned away from Ciaran and walked back to the door. Ciaran turned the envelope over in his hands and put it down on the table next to him. He watched Hamilton leave his house; as soon as he was gone the phone rang next to him. Ciaran shook his head and picked up the phone.

"Yes?" He said into the receiver.

"Mr. O'Connor? We have some amazing news for you sir, your son Liam…he's awake." Ciaran closed his eyes and let the phone fall from his fingers. He laughed slightly then picked the phone up from his lap. He held it to his ear and answered the call.

"Thank you. I'll be there with my family shortly." The line went dead and Ciaran hung up the phone. He stood slowly then walked to the back of the house. He opened the back door and stepped out onto the back patio. His wife was kneeling on the ground with her gardening gloves on. His two grandchildren raced around the backyard screaming. His daughter stood behind her mother with a hand on her large belly. Catherine tapped her mother on the shoulder and pointed to her father. Ciaran smiled and walked towards them. Marie stood and took her gloves off to shield her eyes from the sun.

"Ciaran, what is it?" She asked. He smiled at her and touched her face gently.

"It's time to bring our son home." Marie brought her hands to her mouth and hugged her husband. Catherine smiled and fell into her father's arms as well. He held his family and closed his eyes; soon his family would be complete.

--

Several hours later Ciaran met Tomas and his family at the hospital as well. Tomas stood with Nora and Murtagh while Alanna was sitting with her daughter Cassidy. Ciaran stood in front of his friend and put a hand on his shoulder. Nora hugged Marie and Catherine went to sit beside her niece. She placed a supportive arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze.

"Is this really it? Are we really about to do this? Lie to ourselves…"

"Tomas," Ciaran silenced him, "We have had many years to think on this and to reflect on what has happened to us. They have provided us the background now all we have to do is continue the story. From what I read in the documents, he will remember nothing of his past life. I turned my back on my son once, I will not do it again." Tomas took in the weight of Ciaran's words and nodded. It was true they had been spinning the lie for the last twenty years, when their first grandchild was born. This would be no different. A doctor walked towards them with a smile on his face. Obviously this was all part of the illusion.

"Mr. O'Connor. I don't know what to tell you. It's a miracle. Your son woke up several hours ago and seems to making a full recovery. It's a miracle. He's been asking for you." Ciaran nodded and followed the doctor down a small corridor to the ICU to room 314. He walked into the room to find a single bed with a large figure sitting up. His head was facing the bright window the sun hitting his face. Ciaran held his wife back and stepped into the room. He tried to be quiet but his son's head turned and a smile emerged on his face. The moment the smile spread across his features, Ciaran knew this was an illusion. The last time he had seen his son's face he had seen angry and hatred. Now he saw nothing but affection and love. Ciaran forced a smile and walked to his son's bedside.

"Father." Liam said.

"Liam, you have no idea how long we have been waiting for you."

"I'm not sure what happened to me, but I'm sure you'll explain it."

"Of course son, I'll explain everything."

"How long have I been asleep for?" Liam asked.

"Too long. But none of that matters now, you are awake and that is all that matters now." Ciaran signaled and allowed the rest of the family to come in. Marie fell to her son's side and hugged him tightly. He smiled and hugged her back. Catherine placed her hand in his and squeezed. Liam smiled at her and made a face at her large belly. She laughed and let tears fall down her cheeks. Liam noticed that Tomas and his family were there, including someone he would have given anything to see. Ciaran stood and allowed Alanna to sit next to him. Tears were falling down her face as she took Liam's face into her hands. She moved hair out of his eyes and smiled at him.

"I have been waiting for you for far too long." She said to him. She leaned into him and kissed him deeply. Liam returned the kiss and wrapped his arms around her slender waist.

"I'm sorry." He said into her ear as she hugged him tight. Behind Alanna was a thirteen-year-old girl that he'd never seen before. He released Alanna and reached towards her. She slowly moved towards him and took his outstretched hand. Alanna took her daughter's hand and smiled.

"Cassidy, this is your father."

"She looks like you." Liam commented. Ciaran stood back and watched his son act and saying the things he'd always wanted. Tomas stood next to him and folded his arms across his chest.

"Can you live with this Ciaran?" He asked. Ciaran smiled and slowly nodded.

"I can."

"I hope you're right." Tomas and Ciaran watched as their lives unfolded before them. Liam had returned, but for how long neither of them knew.


	2. Chapter 2

A Fallen Angel – Chapter 2

**3 Years Later**

Her eyes hurt. She had been staring at the computer screen in front of her for hours. Her coffee had gone cold and tasted sour. She put it down and made a face; _that was the most disgusting thing I have ever had in my entire life._ She picked it up again and threw it into the garbage can across the room. The cup sailed across the room and hit the garbage can dead center. She smiled to herself then turned back to the blinking screen in front of her. A headache began to form behind her eyes and she replayed the tape one more time. The images all swirled together and no longer represented individual people. She hit the pause button and leaned back in her chair. This was all so impossible. There was no way that three people could disappear overnight. She had spent three years searching for answers but all she found were more dead ends. A soft knock came from behind her and she swiveled around in her chair to see a tall young man framed in the doorway. He was six-foot-one with shoulder length brown hair; deep eyes that seemed to go on forever; he had a lean frame but well defined with muscle. He may look small but he was much stronger than one would assume. He looked at her with hope and sadness waiting for her to say something.

"Any luck?" He asked. She smiled at him and shook her head. He had asked her that question every day for the last three years and every day she had the same answer.

"I wish I could say that I did, but I don't. I have a big fat pile of nothing. You?" He shook his head as well as he walked into the small room and sat next to her. He leaned forward and put his head into his hands. He sat there for a moment then looked up into her green eyes.

"Nope. Nothing. As usual."

"We'll find something, eventually." She said to him.

"Eventually is not good enough."

"Connor, you have to trust me. There is no one in this world who wants to find Angel more than me. I have spent the last three years of my life looking for him and I promise you, I will find him. It's just going to take time." Buffy smiled at him and took his hand. She squeezed it for a moment and he gripped back.

"I know that. It just doesn't make any sense. Why would he disappear and…"

"And you still be here?"

"Yeah, me still here. I don't get it."

"We'll figure it out." Buffy said to him, "Willow is working round the clock just like Xander and everybody else. It's just a little more difficult than we could imagine." Connor smiled and looked at the computer screen that Buffy had been spending most of her time looking at.

"Anything new off this?" Connor asked moving to look at the screen. Buffy shifted back and hit the replay button.

"Nothing. Willow found this a couple of weeks ago, one of the first leads we've had in a long time. I have no idea how she found it and I'm not inclined to ask. The video shows Angel, Gunn, Spike and Fred talking to some guy…"

"Hamilton."

"Right, Hamilton. Anyway, they are talking to him in front of the pile of Wolfram & Hart ruble then a flash of light and they're gone. I've gone over the video numerous times and I can't find a shadow or a fleck out of place. I was hoping that if I looked at it long enough and slowed it down then I might find an extra shadow or…something that might lead me to an answer as to what they were talking about or where they went."

"Did Willow get anything on the magical end?"

"She ran over the tape at a very subatomic/magical level and she says that whoever created the light was much more powerful than a 1st grade warlock like Hamilton."

"Hamilton's a warlock?" Connor asked.

"Anyone who ends up working for Wolfram & Hart has to have some degree of magic in them. Anyone who works closely to the Senior Partners has to be a level two or higher. It's actually part of the job description."

"What did you research the company?"

"From top to bottom. The only way we are going to get anywhere is if we know our enemy inside and out. We spent at least six months pulling out all the stops on figuring out who Wolfram & Hart is." Buffy moved away from the computer and handed Connor a large file, "Wolfram & Hart didn't start as a law firm. That is what they evolved into. The Senior Partners have existed since the beginning of time, actually since the creation of the Slayers. The world works on a very delicate balance of good and evil, or heaven and hell if you prefer. Evil is born in everything; everybody in the world has the potential to be evil, as well as good. It all depends on which way you choose to go.

When the first Slayer was created, those warlocks used a large amount of pure evil to create pure good. Because of that, the Senior Partners were created. For every good deed there has to be an equal or more power evil deed. Demonic energies were used to create the Slayer as a result, there had to be an ultimate Evil, other than the First, to balance it out: the Senior Partners. Of course they weren't known as the Senior Partners in the beginning. Originally they didn't have a name. Each culture gave them a different name and meaning. Some believe that the Senior Partners were the first idea of Lucifer, or the Devil. They have evolved over time into a multimillion-dollar corporation. They went from being a folktale or legend to being the single most powerful entity in the entire world.

As time went on, the Senior Partners changed their image and their ways. But their ultimate goal has always been the same: bring about The Apocalypse. The end to all existence and the rebirth of pure evil. When one world ends, as will evolution, another is created. It happened with the dinosaurs and it will happen with man; the Senior Partners want to destroy the world in order to recreate it in a more sinister image." Connor flipped through the file and found a page about his father.

"What does my dad have to do with all of this?"

"From what we can tell," Buffy said handing him yet another file, "Angel is the key to everything. Angel is the perfect warrior."

"How so?" Connor asked.

"Angel went from being a undefined human to becoming the most evil creature every created. Angelus was pure evil. It didn't matter what he did or how he did it, his legacy, as the Scourge of Europe will exist forever. What makes him special is that he was cursed with his human soul. Angel went from being pure evil to being pure good. He fights every day to atone for every evil deed he has ever done; he puts everyone ahead of himself and he never asks for anything in return. He is the image of the perfect warrior. Super human, super evil, super good all rolled into one package. According to Willow and the research we've done, if Angel were to be sacrificed it would bring about The Apocalypse."

"But wouldn't killing him be considered an act of evil?" Connor inquired as he read through a file all about his father.

"Yes. I don't think, and neither does Willow, that they want to kill him. What they want is for him to sacrifice himself for humanity. An act of pure good would stimulate an act of pure evil. Especially if Angel sacrificed himself during the final alignment of the planets." Off his look of skepticism, Buffy laughed, "I know how stupid that sounds and how clique, but its true. The alignment of the planets causes a huge magical flux that if harnessed properly could bring about the end of the world."

"Dad wouldn't do it. Not if he knew."

"But that is where you are wrong. He would. You may think you know your father Connor, but you don't. Angel would still sacrifice his life to save humanity even if it meant a different result. He wouldn't hesitate. That is what makes him a true champion." Connor put all the files down and looked at Buffy. She was completely serious. Connor didn't want to believe that his father would actually sacrifice himself when he knew that it meant the end of the world. He shook his head and stood.

"You might be right but we'll never know unless we actually find him."

"We're looking. We still have to do all the other stuff we do everyday, but believe me I'm living, breathing and sleeping this mystery."

"Any luck on the Spike front?" Connor asked as he began to pace back and forth. Buffy closed her eyes and rubbed them hard.

"No. Willow has tried every way humanly and magically possible and there is just no way of waking him up. Willow says he's in some kind of vampiric coma. Vampire comas are not very common. They usually only happen when an elder vampire is sick of the world and decides to stop drinking blood. When a vampire goes without blood they eventually fall into a deep slumber living their remaining days under ground. The traditional way of waking up a vampire from this sleep is by feeding them undiluted human blood. Which is hard to come by in general because no blood sample is not diluted or polluted in some way. We've tried Slayer blood, including my own, and still nothing. Willow has also tried to link with his mind to see if he's dreaming or conscience of what is going on, nothing. It doesn't look good."

"I can't believe all this is happening. I mean, they thought of everything. They made Fred and Gunn disappear, along with sending Lorne by to Pylea; they put Spike into a coma he can't wake up from and then there is me. They didn't do anything to me. I still have all my memories, except for how I got here. Don't you think they would want to silence me as well?"

"That is answer we just don't have. We have no idea why they didn't just get rid of you too. Willow has a running theory. Do you want to hear it?" Buffy asked raising an eyebrow.

"Why? Don't think I'll accept the answer?" Connor asked. Buffy looked at him sideways as if to say 'yes' causing Connor to shrug.

"Willow seems to think because of your mysterious origins and miraculous birth, they couldn't touch you. You are a lot more important than you give yourself credit for and I think that is why they couldn't do anything to you. When they changed your memories and relocated you that was done on a simple plane of magic's; Willow thinks that you are immune to anything higher than that. Like you are…"

"A freak?"

"Your words not mine. No, like you are more powerful than the Senior Partners. They can't get you out of the way because they don't have the ability to. You are the product of two vampires; you are as special as they come. One day you may find yourself greater than every expected."

"Wonderful, I'm Clark Kent." Buffy smiled.

"Clark Kent had a cap and suit, if you ever put on spandex I'll kill you." Connor smiled at her and stopped pacing. Buffy was an amazing woman. He could see why his dad was so in love with her. She was so smart and so completely loyal to his father. It took an exceptional woman to spend three years of her life searching for someone she might never find again.

"Okay, so I'm not Clark Kent but it gives way to the theory that I'm an alien or some kind of all-powerful god."

"Your theory has merit but I don't think we'll ever find out. At least not right now." Suddenly, Xander burst into the room out of breath. Buffy turned to him with a frown on her face.

"Xander?"

"Willow found something. Come on!" Buffy shot up from her chair and raced after Xander. Connor followed leaving the computer and files askew on the table.

--

Willow was sitting in the middle of her room within a chalk drawn circle. Her legs were crossed and her eyes were closed; her hands rested on her legs and she was taking slow deep, calculated breaths. Her eyes flew open and she smiled. Now she was sure. Just then, Xander came back into the room with Buffy and Connor in tow. She saw hope in their eyes as she stood and dusted off her pants.

"The one thing I hate about chalk is that it gets everywhere." Buffy crossed her arms, clearly not amused with her friend.

"Willow…" Buffy began.

"Relax, you know me. I like to release the tension with a bit of humor. I found Fred." Willow announced. Connor moved forward shock registering on his face.

"Are you serious? How?"

"I searched for her essence. Every human has an essence or aura that only they have. It's usually easier to locate but Wolfram & Hart managed to hide it well. She's in the state of Texas."

"That's not a surprise," Connor said, "She's from there."

"So when to we go?" Buffy asked.

"We go as soon as I know its safe to do so. I have to make sure that the Senior Partners don't detect us when we go. The last thing we need is for them to assassinate some more Slayers in order to "scare" us. I'm going to create some clocking amulets to hide us from them, it won't last forever, but it will keep us hidden until we can talk to Fred." Willow moved to the large silver laboratory table set up underneath a window looking out onto the grounds of the castle.

"Do you think she'll know what's going on or will they have done something to her as well?" Connor asked. Willow continued to work as she answered Connor.

"I think that she won't remember a damn thing. She probably won't even know who we are. I doubt that Illyria is in her body anymore. The Senior Partners would have gotten rid of her or sent her back to her slumber; Fred will be Fred. It's easy to mess with a human's memories than an Elder's. What I want to do is get close enough so that I can rummage around in her head to see what they've done or tried to cover up." Willow made quick work of putting liquid together and grinding up powers and herbs.

"Can you actually do that?" Connor asked. Willow turned back her eyes as black as the night.

"Unlike most mortal men, I am a god. I have the ability to do just about whatever I want. But the Senior Partners are always one step ahead of me. They are one level ahead of me. Its rather infuriating." Willow allowed her eyes to return to their natural hazel and she went back to her work.

"Well, I'm going with you." Connor announced. Buffy had given up fighting him. In the beginning she had forced him to stay behind only to discover that he always managed to find a way to follow them. She was sure Xander had something to do with it. After the last time, she had stopped fighting him.

"We'll all go." Buffy said putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Yep, because you are going to be the distraction. I need Fred to be completely relaxed while I dive into her mind." Willow said. She turned back and handed each one of her friends an amulet, "These will mask our magical auras from the Senior Partners for a short time. We are going to have to make this a short and sweet trip." Willow put her amulet around her neck and stood in the middle of the room with outstretched hands. Connor hated this part. He'd much rather they travel the traditional way, but with time being sensitive, they had resorted to faster forms of travel. Connor stepped forward and took Willow's hand. Buffy took Connor's and Xander completed the circle. Willow turned her head to look at the brunette sitting on the bed.

"Don't wait up." She said. Kennedy smiled and blew her a kiss. Willow turned back and threw her head back. Several Latin incantations later they were gone.

--

The foursome stood in front of a small house with a white picket fence around it. Not exactly what Buffy expected for a house in Texas. They walked up to the house and stood still for a moment. A small dog was tied up in the front yard, barking and snarling. Buffy frowned. She hated yappy dogs. Connor put a hand on the gate and waited. Willow was still for a moment before she moved.

"We are safe. No one has taken an interest in our movement." Connor raised an eyebrow, "I have to make sure that no on has taken interest in our magical form of travel. The less attention we get the better." She walked up to the front gate and opened it. Connor, Buffy and Xander followed slowly closing the gate behind them. Willow walked with purpose up to the door she knocked loudly.

"Do you have a plan as to why we are here?" Connor asked.

"Of course I do." Willow said. A tall man with glasses opened the door.

"Can I help you folks?" He asked.

"My name is Willow Rosenberg. I'm here to talk to your daughter, Winifred."

"What's this about?"

"It's about her application to our science center earlier this year. I'd like to talk to her about her dissertation and possible grant money to fund her temporal time shift theories and tests." Willow smiled sweetly as the man assessed what she'd said.

"Well, I'm sorry. Fred's not here at the moment, but ya'll are welcome to come in and wait for her. She should be getting back shortly." Willow smiled.

"Thank you. We'd love to wait." The man held the door open and yelled into the house.

"Trish! Put some water on, we have guests." He walked away from the group and headed towards the kitchen. Willow took off her shoes and walked into the house towards the living room. Buffy, Connor and Xander did the same following their friend through the house. Buffy caught hold of Willow's arm and turned her around to face her.

"Willow, I don't know anything about temporal time shift theories. How are we going to keep her distracted when we have no idea what to say?"

"Don't worry. We won't last on that topic for long. The whole point is to keep her talking, even if its about other things." Willow sat down on the flower print couch and crossed her legs. Connor remained standing next to the large piano; Xander stood in front of the bay window and Buffy sat next to her friend. The waited until a small woman with mouse-brown hair flecked with gray came into the room. She was holding a tea tray very carefully; slowly she set it down on coffee table then took a step back.

"I hope ya'll are okay with tea. Fred was supposed to bring back coffee but that girl gets so distracted with her work that she has a tendency to forget." Willow reached for the cup and sat back. The rest of the team remained still. Trish, Fred's mom, sat opposite them in a large wingback chair holding her own cup. She looked like she wanted to ask them something but held it back. Willow, sensing her unease, took the opportunity to set the scene and dig around in Fred's mom's memories at the same time.

"I know this is a little short notice, but we have to keep our picks secret. If we told everyone we wouldn't be the leading center in scientific breakthrough. Fred's research is of particular interest to us and we want to jump on it before anyone else. We have a lot of money to offer Fred and if she takes it, well she won't lack for anything nor have any limits to what she would be able to do." Trish set her cup down and smiled.

"What center did ya'll say you were from?" She asked.

"I didn't. We like to remain anonymous. Fred will know who we are and will respect the need for us to keep our identity secret." Willow didn't skip a beat as she spoke. Buffy looked into her friends eyes and noticed that she was leading Fred's mom while she rooted around in her head. Willow's eyes always had a red rim when she was using magic. Buffy took the opportunity to distract the woman.

"You have a very lovely home. How long have you been here?" She asked.

"All our lives. This little thing was a gold mine. When we were younger, newly married, we were search for a fixer-upper; we love doing renovations and we wanted the house to be a complete reflection on our family and us. We didn't even complete all the rooms until we were having a baby. The extension on the house we did three years ago when Fred came home. Fred needed a little extra room for all her work so we didn't see them harm in building her a little laboratory of her own. She's always workin' so hard." Trish picked up her cup again and took another sip.

"I love your yard. I enjoy gardening and what you've done with yours I've never been able to achieve," Buffy leaned forward and finally took a cup, "I love gardening but I tend to kill everything."

"The garden is my husband's forte. I've never been good it with myself. He works so hard on it. Out there are some of Fred's hybrid plants. The neighbors always ask were we got them but there is no way to tell them because they are Fred's creations."

"She's very gifted." Buffy commented. Willow finally relaxed and took a deep breath. Trish's unease seemed to settle at the same time. Buffy smiled. Her friend always amazed her, "May I used your bathroom?" She asked. Trish directed her to the bathroom and Buffy stood and walked out of the room. Buffy closed the door and sat on the toilet. She crossed her legs and put her hands on her knees. Taking a few deep breaths she closed her eyes and continued to wait. Suddenly an image shimmered behind her eyelids and Willow's floating form appeared.

_So, did you find anything? _Buffy asked.

Not a whole lot but there is definitely a block there. There was no memory erasure or built memories. I think that they were in on it. I think that three years ago when Wolfram & Hart did this they brought in Fred's family. Made them some kind of deal, they keep Fred and live their lives like nothing had happened. Any parent would take up that offer.

_Is there anyway to get around the mind block to find out for sure?_

_I don't think so. Not if I don't want to kill them. I believe the block was created for this exact purpose. To stop people like me from finding out that their involved and what's going on._

_Do you think they know more than what they were told?_

_I don't think they were told much. They were most likely threatened or given an ultimatum. Do this or we'll kill Fred, that kind of thing. Her parents are just trying to protect Fred. They are apprehensive of us and we need to be careful. I also get the feeling that if someone comes poking around looking for Fred; they are to call the wolves._

_How much time do you think we have?_

_Not much. If we are going to dig around in Fred's head she needs to come home soon. I'd like to check her dad. So that's my next step._ Buffy nodded to herself then watched as Willow's image disappeared. She opened her eyes and stood. She flushed the toilet and washed her hands. Keep up appearances; Buffy walked back to the living room to find that Willow was gone and Connor was sitting on the couch. Buffy sat next to him and picked up her drink. Moments later Willow returned with Fred's dad and stood in the doorway. Within moments of reentering the room the front door opened.

"Hello! Mom! Dad! I'm home!" For a moment, Trish looked at her husband and a slight hesitation reflected in their eyes. Her husband nodded ever so slightly and Trish turned back to the group.

"We're in here!" Fred, the real Fred that Connor remembered, walked into the room but stopped short, "What's going on?" She asked. Willow smiled warmly and stepped towards her extending her hand.

"Fred? My name is Dr. Willow Rosenberg. I'm from the Scottish Institute for Scientific Evolution, I'm sure you've heard of us." Fred's face broke into a smile and she took Willow's hand; she shook it fiercely.

"Oh, wow. I didn't think ya'll had gotten my application. I can't believe you would come all the way here!"

"Well, we like to be one step ahead of our fellow competitors. We thought we'd come down in person to talk to you about your theories regarding temporal time shift anomalies. Of course, only if you have the time?" Willow's eyes flared slightly red as she began to probe her way into Fred's mind. Fred took a slight step back but smiled.

"I'd love to! You were always my first choice but I wasn't sure if my work would be good enough for you. Ya'll are at the head of your game and I'm just a small Texas girl. Still you could have just sent me a letter…" Fred's thoughts trailed off as she entered the living room. Beads of sweat appeared on Willow's brow and her brows furrowed together. Buffy stood and walked to her friend.

"Willow?" Willow doubled over and hit the ground. Fred backed towards her parents with a hand over her mouth.

"Is she all right?" Fred asked. Trish and her husband shared a quick glance and looked back at Willow. Willow rolled onto her side and looked into Buffy's eyes. Buffy could tell that something was really wrong. Xander knelt beside them and put Willow's arm around his shoulder. Connor stood and went to help Xander take Willow outside.

"I'm really sorry. She's really sick and was so stubborn about making this trip. She shouldn't be traveling and sometimes it just gets to her." She walked towards Fred and her family and searched Fred's face for any recognition of Willow or Connor. There was nothing except fear in her eyes, "Thank you so much for your time and the Institute will be in touch at a later time." Buffy turned on her heel and walked out of the house. Xander and Connor had Willow on the front lawn. She was taking deep, deliberate breaths with her hand on her chest. Xander held her shoulders and Connor stood. He was looking at the large bay window of the Burkle home. Buffy turned and saw that the threesome was staring at them. Trish grabbed hold of the curtains and closed them. Buffy turned back and walked towards her friend.

"I don't think we are getting anything out of them now." Connor crossed his arms and frowned. Willow finally stood and dusted off her pants from the ground.

"What happened?" Xander asked.

"Whatever Wolfram & Hart has done its more than I can break through. When I started to go through her memories I hit a block but it wouldn't release me. It's like it is a failsafe in case someone tries to get in. It was rather painful." Willow shook her head then looked to her friends.

"I'm sorry. But I don't think we are going to find out anything from the Burkle's. We might have better luck with Gunn, if we can find him. When we get back, I'll start the search."

"Are you sure you want to dive around in another one of their heads?" Xander asked concern etched on his face.

"It might be stronger with Fred because they had to rip the demon out of her and replace the read Fred which most likely had gone missing," Willow walked away from the house and headed back to the extraction point, "They had to do more work with her. It might be less with Gunn. I won't know until I try. We can't just let these people scare us away from finding Angel, or do you want to give up?" No one said anything and Willow nodded holding out her hands. The group took a hand each and within moments they were gone heading back to the base.

--

Buffy needed a little space after they came back to Scotland. Willow had locked herself back in her room in a desperate search to find Gunn. Xander had gone back to the tape they had found thinking that maybe a fresh pair of eyes would be beneficial. Connor needed to blow off some steam and had headed to the large gym. Buffy just wanted some silence. She walked the long hall of the infirmary and turned into a small room at the end of the hall. She stood for a moment in the doorway, leaning against the frame. In a typical hospital there would be tubes and machines hooked up to the individual lying in the bed, but this was a normal patient. Instead, Spike simply lay silent in a small bed with a single light illuminating his features. His skin had turned white from the lack of blood in his system. His face seemed sunken and hallow; the veins on his hands had turned blue and began to stretch up his arms. There was a single chair in the room and Buffy moved silently to sit in it. She moved the chair closer to the bed and sat down picking up Spike's fragile hand. It felt rough like the skin was beginning to chafe away. She only held it for a moment then put it back down. She leaned forward and brushed a hair away from his face. She had never seen Spike with hair, but because they weren't cutting it, the blonde had begun to grow out revealing dark hair underneath. She smiled and allowed tears to form at the brim of her eyes.

"Spike we are hitting a dead end, again. I know that you can hear me. You need to wake up. We need you; Angel needs you. You have been in this stupid coma for three years. The Spike I know wouldn't just lay here and take this crap!" She was so frustrated with everything. She hadn't had a good night sleep in three years. Buffy rubbed her eyes and leaned back in the chair. Spike slumbered on as Buffy stared into his face. There was nothing they could do for him; Willow had no way of waking him up and they were all sure that his coma was magically induced by Wolfram & Hart. As soon as they solved this puzzle she was going to take Wolfram & Hart down; finish the work Angel had started. At the moment they were at yet another dead end. Eventually they would find something, but Connor was right eventually was just not good enough.


	3. Chapter 3

**A Fallen Angel – Chapter 3**

Buffy raced down the long corridor to Willow's room. It was two in the morning and Kennedy had called her to tell her that Willow had something new. To her left, Connor's bedroom door opened and he began following her, keeping pace step for step. Xander was already there when Buffy and Connor arrived. The door was open, an eerie white light illuminating the hallway. Buffy looked into the room and saw Willow surrounded in a glowing aura that made night feel like day. The wind that flew through the room was deafening. Kennedy came over to Buffy and yelled over the sound.

"She's been like this for two hours. It won't stop!"

"What happened?" Buffy asked.

"She came out of her trance saying she had found Gunn and almost instantly this light and wind appeared. Do you think this is something from Wolfram & Hart?" Kennedy enquired concern worn into her face.

"I wouldn't put it past them. I'm sure the Burkle's told them of our visit. They weren't too happy with us when we left." Buffy watched her friend: head thrown back, eyes closed, body stiff yet moving back and forth. Xander's arms were crossed as he waited. Connor's eyes were wide but his anger was obvious.

"Is there anyone that can bring her out of this?" Connor asked. Buffy shook her head stepping forward. Connor grabbed her arm and tried to pull her back. Buffy smiled at him. She took Kennedy's hand and together the Slayers walked towards Willow. Slowly, Buffy extended her hand and concentrated. Slayer power has been used for more dangerous things, what could this hurt? Kennedy followed Buffy lead concentrating on Willow; together the Slayers touched Willow's shoulders. Violently they were thrown backwards, the wind stopped and the light faded. Willow slumped over her hair hanging in her face. Connor went to Buffy and helped her to her feet. Kennedy stood and went to Willow.

"Will? Honey, are you okay?" She asked pushing Willow's hair away from her face. Willow groaned and looked up. Sweat plastered her hair to her face and her breathing was shallow. She nodded slowly.

"I'm okay. I need…I need to lay down." She said slowly. Kennedy helped her to her feet slowly and walked her over to their bed. Willow sat carefully then placed her head on the pillow. Instantly she fell asleep. Kennedy sat beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. Xander stood behind Kennedy and looked down at his best friend.

"What the hell was that?" He asked.

"I have no idea." Buffy answered.

"I'll come and get you when she wakes up." Kennedy said. With that being said, the trio left the room and the door closed behind them. They stood in the hallway for several minutes before one of them spoke.

"Do you think Wolfram & Hart did this because we are getting close to something?" Xander asked. Anger flared in Connor's eyes.

"We aren't getting anywhere! Fred was a dead end; Spike's in a coma that is slowly killing him, apparently we found Gunn but we have no idea where he is and no idea if he even remembers anything! How would we be close to something?" Connor demanded. Buffy put a hand on his shoulder and held him steady.

"We have something. We know that Wolfram & Hart needs Angel, for whatever reason. We know that they relocated every one of them. We know that they have used family members to their advantage. We know that they have altered their memories. We know a lot. What we don't know is why." Buffy kept her voice steady as Connor breathed heavily trying to control his temper. Connor was so like his father; he had a temper that was very dangerous but useful in certain circumstances. Xander wasn't offended. He understood that Connor wanted nothing more than to find his father.

"Look, man. I understand that you're pissed. But we are running around in circles. We need to find something solid or we are going to lose the trail once more and spend all our time and efforts looking for someone who might be…"

"Don't say dead! I would know if my father was dead! They need him, you said it yourself Buffy, they wouldn't kill him." Connor turned away from Xander.

"Connor, we have to explore every avenue and one of those is that they have killed Angel and covered it up. Its possible." Xander looked at Buffy pleading with his eyes. She knew her friend was right but all the same she didn't want to believe it.

"Connor, Xander is…Xander is right. We do have to think of it. But I don't believe it either. They wouldn't go through all this trouble just because they had killed him. He is too valuable to them. We will find something. Maybe we should go back to the original crime scene…wow that sounds strange." Xander smiled.

"Well, we can't go to L.A. Too dangerous." Xander said.

"So we call on the team that is stationed in L.A. We asked them to check it out, yet again." Buffy said. She turned from them and headed towards the Control Room. Xander and Connor followed.

"I don't know, Buffy." Xander began, "We've been over it several times. The girls are getting sick of doing the same thing over and over. I don't think they will be willing to go over it again."

"Well that's too bad for them." Buffy said opening the door. The Control Room was a buzz of lights and computer screens. Three girls were monitoring the screens with headsets sounding in their ears. From this room they could be in constant contact with every Slayer cell around the world. Buffy leaned over Megan's shoulder. Her head turned quickly.

"Buffy!" She stood abruptly scaring the two girls beside her, "What can I do you for you?"

"I need you to get in touch with the L.A. cell. Now." Megan sat down and hit a few buttons. She waited a moment before another girl picked up the other end. The picture on the screen shifted and the answered called appeared on screen.

"What's up?" Buffy took the headset from Megan and put it on her head. Her own image shifted into the bottom right hand side of the screen.

"I need you guys to get out to the scene again. I need you to go over every single square inch of that area again. There needs to be something. More cameras somewhere, more witnesses, something. I don't care if you have to dig up every demon in the entire area, there has to be something. Go underground. I don't care but find me anything that might be involved in Angel's disappearance."

"Buffy, we've been…"

"I don't care!" Buffy shouted, "We are going to send one of our Coven leaders to help look magically. There has to be something. I've waited and searched long enough. Find me anything, no matter how insignificant." Buffy handed the headset back to Megan and stalked out of the room. Xander put a hand on Megan's shoulder and looked into the screen. 'Sorry.' He mouthed to the other girl. She rolled her eyes and spoke to Megan.

"We'll get on it and we'll be expecting the Coven within twenty-four hours." The line disconnected and the screen went black.

"Well, I guess we are back to square one." Xander and Connor left the Control Room together and walked back down the corridor. Buffy was nowhere in sight as they crossed the length of the hall.

"Where do you think she went?" Connor asked.

"Oh, I have a pretty good idea." Xander replied. Together, they headed towards the gym and the weapons locker.

--

Buffy was so angry. She threw several more punches at the bag in front of her. She'd only been there for a few minutes but her hands were already sore. She wasn't one to use protective equipment; she preferred the feel of her own hands hitting something. Sweated beaded around her hairline and slowly traveled down her back. Buffy continued to hit the bag in frustration and anger. She was so mad, not at the situation but at Angel. For the last several weeks Buffy had spent a lot of time thinking about everything that had happened. She'd spent the last three years of her life looking for a man who'd ripped her heart out of her chest and stomped on it like it meant nothing. Looking for man she wasn't even sure loved her anymore. Looking for a man who'd kept her in the dark for over five years of her life, not even thinking to ask her for help. She had been angry with herself for not finding the answers, but really she was angry with Angel for not including her. When it had come down to the end of the world in Sunnydale all those years ago, she had included him. She had accepted his information and asked him for help by forming a second front. But he had shut her out of the most important decision, taking over an evil law firm that she knew would just chew him up and spit him out. For a century's old man, he was kind of an idiot. She began to hit the bag harder. She didn't care what he felt anymore all she knew was what she felt. It didn't matter how many men she was with after Angel, every one of them was compared to him. Her feelings for Angel had never changed over the years and that made her angry. She could feel the tears forming behind her eyes as she continued to punch the bag. She didn't even notice that her hands had begun to bleed. A hand fell onto her shoulder and she whipped around connecting solidly with a face. She didn't move to him as he hit the ground. Connor touched his face and pulled his hand away, blood on his fingertips. For a second, he thought she had broken his nose, but noticed that the blood had come from her hands. He stood and walked towards her. Her faced was a mess of tears and sweat; her breathing was laboured as she stood there shaking. Connor enfolded her in his arms; her head fell against his shoulder and she cried into him. Connor wasn't sure what to do but he put his arms around her and held her close. Her hands clung to his shirt as she sobbed into his shoulder.

"Buffy…" Connor didn't know what to say to her. She pulled away from him and walked back to the bag. She held onto the bag then hit it one more time. She walked away from it and went to sit on one of the several benches in the gym. She pulled a white towel out from the basket to her left. Placing the towel onto her hands she dabbed at the blood. Connor sat next to her and waited.

"Angel…" Buffy started then hesitated. Sighing she continued, "Angel is the love of my life. Not was, is. Not a day has gone by that I haven't thought of him or dreamed of him or wondered what he was doing. Even when I "moved one" with other guys, I always had Angel in my head. Comparing him to them and every time, they were never good enough. No one was good enough." Connor listened as Buffy gave him some insight into how deep in love she was with his father, "All I ever wanted was for him to realize that he needed me just as much as I needed him. I loved those other people, but not like I loved Angel. When you arrived with Spike and told me that Angel was missing all I wanted to do was go down to L.A. and storm the gates of Wolfram & Hart to find out what they'd done to him. Xander convinced me not too. He said that it wouldn't accomplish anything and all they would do was make me disappear as well. He might have been right, he might not have been but it was a risk I was willing to take if he hadn't stopped me."

"We will find him. You said so yourself." Connor replied.

"I know what I said. But it's been three years. You'd think we would have found something solid by now but all we have is more questions than answers." Connor laughed. Buffy looked up at him crossing her eyebrows, "What's so funny?"

"Our rolls have been reversed. Normally you're the one telling me that we'll find something that everything will be okay. And here I am, now telling the same thing to you." Connor turned to face her and took the towel from her checking her knuckles, "We can't give up now. We found Fred we'll find Gunn. We have too, we didn't spend all this time to give up." He threw the towel away and rested his elbows on his knees. Buffy leaned back and ran her hands through her hair. Her knuckles stung.

"I know that. But…I just…I don't know. I just want some real answers."

"We'll get them."

"Oh, believe me. When I find Angel and fix what they've done, they will have a war on their hands they won't know what to do with." She said with conviction.

"Lawyers of the world beware." Connor said. Buffy smiled and punched Connor in the arm. Connor stood and put his hands on his hips.

"Think you can take me?" He asked. Buffy looked up at him and smiled.

"If I can send your father to hell, I think I can handle you." She replied.

"We'll see." Connor smiled and walked away from her standing in the middle of a sparing matt. _Like father, like son._ Buffy thought as she walked towards him.

--

_Galway, Ireland_

Together two parents sit in the principal's office. They sit apart from each other with their hands apart like they are in their own little bubbles. She with her legs crossed and her fingers entwined together. He with one leg crossed at the knee and his hands on the chair's arms. They don't look at each other as they wait for the principal to enter the room. He looks around and notices that it has begun to snow; he also notices the clock and curses under his breath. He is late for the newest shipment at his gallery. He checks his own watch to make sure that his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. He sighs heavily and lets his arm fall. With the noise, the mother looks over and rolls her eyes. _Always in a freaking hurry._ She thinks to herself as she looks away from him. They have become so distant with each other ever since the affair. She had apologized so many times to him in the hopes that he would eventually forgive her, but it had nearly been a year since he'd filled for separation and divorce and she knew now that there was no way he was going to forgive her for what she had done. She looked over at him again and took in his features. He had a square jaw line that had a tendency to lock when he was frustrated or angry. His features were proportionate and solid. His eyes were the best feature, deep and soulful; they looked like they could look into every layer of you without hesitation. He had a tall frame well defined with muscle. She missed him. She still loved him, but the trust between them was shattered and it was her fault. Time seemed to slow as they continued to wait. The door behind them opened and two people stepped in. One was the school's principal the other they had never met before. The principal went to the other side of his desk and sat down. The woman with him stood behind him with her arms crossed.

"Thank you for coming Mr. and Mrs. O'Connor." Alanna O'Connor shifted in her seat as she leaned forward.

"What is this about?" She asked.

"This is about your daughter." The woman responded.

"This is Sophie Murdock. She is the guidance councilor here. We have some concerns about your daughters well-being."

"Her well-being?" Liam O'Connor repeated. The councilor stepped from behind the principal and sat on the corner of his desk.

"I'm concerned that the divorce is disrupting her work here at school and her personal relationships. She has gotten into three fights; her grades have begun to slip and she is very distant when in classes. I think you would all benefit from some family counseling." Miss. Murdock said carefully.

"What is going on in our lives has nothing to do with our daughter. We have made a serious effort to make sure that what is going on does not disrupt her life." Liam replied.

"I don't mean to offend you, Mr. O'Connor. But your daughter, whether your careful or not, has been effected by this. I'm concerned for her well-being and for this school." Liam didn't feel like sitting her and having his life rummaged through by a woman he barely knew. He knew that she was right but he didn't want to believe it.

"We thank you for you concerns and we will speak to Cassidy. Is there an immediate concern with her grades and her opportunities for college?" Alanna asked.

"I don't think so. But she would benefit from some honesty from her parents." That triggered something in Liam he didn't want to feel.

"Honesty? What do you know about honesty? You have no idea what's going on and I don't intend to sit here and speak to some second rate guidance councilor about my…our personal problems." Liam stood angrily and moved away from his seat, "Now are you suspending her for fighting or are we going to sit here some more?" The principal could see that Liam was angry and he turned to the councilor and smiled.

"Thank you Miss. Murdock. I'll take it from here." Miss. Murdock frowned at Liam and sauntered out of the room. The principal looked at the two parents and sighed heavily.

"School policy is no fighting. By rights, I can suspend her for two weeks if not more because it's the third time. The other parents are upset and they don't want her at the school. This is a private school and we have our standards. I think it would be wise, instead of me suspending her, to pull her out and put her in a public school."

"Pull her out? Its halfway through the year." Alanna said despair in her voice.

"It will be an easy transfer. We can move all her grades and have her placed in a public school in the next week."

"All her friends are here…" Alanna lowered her head. This was yet another effect of her affair.

"Her friends, quite frankly, are afraid of her now. I've noticed that they've gravitated away from her. It might be good for her to be in an environment that wasn't so…"

"Popularity driven?" Liam offered.

"Yes." Liam ran a hand through his hair and looked down at his feet. He knew that his wife was beating herself up for this and blaming herself, but he was to blame too. It wasn't like he had sat down with Cassidy and spoken to her about this. He had simply tried to forget it and move on with his life. As soon as he'd found out he'd moved out of the house and to his parents. He hadn't spoken to Cassidy or explained anything to her. He'd just left. This was just as much his fault as it was his wife's. Liam slowly nodded and looked to Alanna. He could tell that she had come to the same conclusion. The principal handed them the transfer papers and asked them to sign them.

"This is an amazing school, one of the best public schools. I know that private is what most parents want for their children but sometimes public is just the right thing to help her find what she's looking for." Liam and Alanna signed to papers to have their daughters transcripts sent to St. Margaret's school. When they were done both parents left the office. They looked at each other once then turned and walked away in opposite directions.

--

Liam sat at the glass patio table in his father's backyard. He'd gone back to the gallery to make sure that the new exhibit had been received properly and without damage but he couldn't work. All he'd done was think about his daughter and what the last year had meant to her. Even though it was snowing, sitting outside was soothing. The cold had never bothered him, ever since he was a boy. He was able to wear shorts in the dead of winter and not feel a thing. The drink in front of him didn't seem to appeal to him. The sliding glass door opened and his mother, wrapped in a blanket, stepped out.

"It's freezing out here. Don't you want to come inside?" She asked pulling a chair out and sitting down. She pulled the blanket tighter and crossed her arms.

"It's not that bad." Liam replied.

"Not that bad, its snowing and below zero. Would you just come inside?" She said. Liam laughed.

"I like the cold."

"I know. It's been your obsession since you were a little boy. But I don't. So if you want to talk you need to come inside."

"Fair enough." Liam stood and followed his mother into the house. The patio was set off a large kitchen. On the island sat two steaming cups of coffee. Liam smiled and sat down on the stool. He took the warm cup in his hands and held it to his nose. He loved the smell of coffee. Closing his eyes he took in the aroma. His mother sat down next to him and took a sip from her own mug. She waited for him; she knew that eventually he would open up but it had to be on his own terms.

"Cassidy is having trouble at school. Instead of kicking her out they want her to go to a public school, St. Margaret's. They say it will do her good to get away from the world of the private school. They are worried that my divorce is affecting her."

"Well its not like you've spoken to Cassidy about it. You've barely spoken to us about it." His mother said.

"I know that. I still don't know how I feel about it."

"Honey, I know that this has been a very hard year for you, but I think its time that you speak to your daughter before you lose her forever." Liam had always appreciated his mother's honesty.

"I know. But how do you tell your daughter that her mother cheated on her father for six months, lied to his face about it then was caught in the act? How do you tell her that?" Liam asked.

"You don't. You just tell her that people change, their feelings change, and they grow apart. You don't need to tell her the circumstances so that she hates her mother. We hate her enough as it is, she doesn't need her daughter resenting her." Marie put a hand on Liam's and squeezed.

"I guess." Liam looked down and shook his head, "Oh I almost forgot I found a really amazing condo. I take possession on the 1st of December."

"Good. Now you can move out of here."

"Nice to know I'm loved." Liam said sarcastically.

"You are. But it will be nice to have our spare room back for company."

"Mother, you have three spare rooms." Liam said.

"No need to get technical." She retorted. His mother was right; it was time for him to talk to his daughter. He took another sip of his coffee and set the cup down. Staring into the warm, steaming mug reminded him of the dream he'd had the night before.

"Mom, can I ask you something?"

"Sure honey, what do you want to talk about?" She asked.

"This is going to sound strange, but your always pretty good at interpreting dreams and I was wondering if you could interpret mine." She smiled at him and waited, "Last night I had the strangest dream about this girl."

"A girl? But not your wife?"

"No, not Alanna, definitely not, Alanna. No this girl was different. It was so vivid; she was this amazingly confident, take no crap kind of girl. This little blonde thing. I've dreamt about her for a couple nights now. Do you think it's my subconscious telling me something?"

"A little blonde thing? That is very descriptive."

"Well, I haven't actually seen her face. Every time I try and concentrate on her features the blurrier they get. And we're always in some kind of dangerous situation that requires her to fight her way out of trouble."

"Sounds like she is your minds way of telling you to move on. Or it's your minds way of telling that you're finally ready to move on." His mother offered.

"You think everything is telling me that its time to move on." Liam said standing; he took his cup to the sink, rinsed it then set it down. He looked out the window then turned to face his mother's concerned face.

"I don't like to see you alone. I just want you to be happy again." She said.

"I know. But I'll move on when I'm ready to move on." Liam said.

"I know you will. But think of it; I believe that your dream is telling you that you're ready. So try. Go out with your friends; take a holiday – do something."

"I don't know mom. I'll think about it." Liam walked away from the sink then picked up his coat and headed towards the door.

"Where are you going?" His mother asked.

"To pick up Cassidy and take her out for dinner."

"Good for you."

"Bye mom." Marie smiled and watched her son leave. She couldn't believe that he'd been with them for three years. So much had happened so much had torn them apart. But now her family was whole once more. However, this dream was slightly disconcerting. It was a symbol of his old life; the one he was meant to forget. There were times that she regretted the decision that they'd made to hid his identity from him. But then again, what good did his old life bring him? Nothing but death, destruction and pain. He was happy here; he had his family and his daughter. Every time she thought that they might have made a mistake she thinks of how he was before, miserable. They'd made the right choice. She needed to find someway to keep his dreams about this woman away. Maybe that man from Wolfram & Hart would know what to do. Maybe they needed to re-do the blocks in his memories. She had no idea what it meant really she was simply worried that his memories might be returning to him through his dreams. She picked up the phone and dialed the emergency number that Hamilton had given them. She let it ring several times before a harmonious voice rang over the phone.

"Wolfram & Hart Attorney's at Law how may I direct your call?"

"Yes, may I speak to Hamilton please?"

"Can I ask what this is in regards to?"

"Angel."

"One moment please." Marie waited for several more moments before a male voice sounded on the other end, a voice that sent a chill up her spine.

"Who is this?" It demanded.

"This is Marie O'Connor. We need to talk." A heavy silence fell on both ends of the phone. Marie took a deep breath and told the devil's son everything that her son had told her in the hopes that she might be able to keep her son as far away from his old life as possible.


	4. Chapter 4

A Fallen Angel – Chapter 4

Scotland

Buffy had spent the better part of her day going over all their evidence, again. The girls in L.A. hadn't come up with anything new and she was beginning to feel that they were never going to find the truth. She'd made a promise to Connor that she would find his father, but at the present time, that promise was going to go unfulfilled. It wasn't until she looked at the clock and realized that she had spent more than eight hours in the little computer lab, that Buffy decided it was time for a workout then a shower. After spending two hours in the training facilities, Buffy went back to her room for a long awaited shower. She turned the water onto hot and allowed the steam to fill the small bathroom. She ran a hand over the mirror to erase the mist and looked at her tired face in the mirror. Large bags had formed under her green eyes; she rarely put makeup on anymore, her time divided between saving the world and finding Angel. She was in desperate need of a hair cut and her dark roots were clearly visible. It had been three years since she taken her own personal appearance seriously. She moved towards the mirror to look even closer; she could tell her age, though she was only 28, Buffy felt like she was much older. The lines on her forehead and around her eyes told a story of exhaustion and emotional turmoil. Frowning, Buffy looked away from her image as the line she created faded away in the hot steam. Slowly, Buffy lifted her shirt over her head and peeled off her yoga pants. She stood for a moment before opening the shower door. Thought the water burned, she stood under it allowing the hot liquid to wash away all the tension and pain in her body. She closed her eyes and ducked her head under the stream of water. The hot water soothed her tired body rejuvenating what might be left. She stood under the water for what felt like hours before she determined that it was time to get out. Opening the door Buffy stepped out of the shower and wrapped a warm white towel around her body. She walked out of the bathroom to find a young woman standing in the middle of her room. Buffy smiled for a moment then folded her arms over her chest, suddenly embarrassed.

"Satsu, what are you doing here?" She asked. The young girl turned and smiled at the toweled Slayer.

"I came to check on you." She said, "Rumor has it that you've been pretty hard on yourself."

"Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine." Buffy replied moving away from her towards her closet. Satsu was an amazing and talented Slayer, but she always knew how to make Buffy nervous. It might have something to do with the fact that they had a sexual relationship at one point, or it might be the fact that Satsu was the only person in existence to be able to see right through her. Angel was pretty good at it, but Satsu was even better. Buffy opened the closet door and ducked behind it. Out of respect, Satsu remained where she was.

"How do I put this lightly? You're a liar." Satsu replied. Buffy laughed as she came out from behind the door, fully dressed.

"I don't lie. I fib." Buffy said sarcastically.

"The difference being?"

"You don't have to be such a smart ass." Buffy said.

"I'm not being a smart ass, just simply telling the truth. It's what I'm good at." Buffy sat down on her bed and looked down at her hands. Satsu's shadow moved and the bed sank slightly. A hand extended towards her and gripped Buffy's hands. Satsu held Buffy's hands for a moment then released them. Satsu knew that she might be in love with Buffy, but Buffy was not in love with her.

"Talk to me." Satsu said quietly. Buffy sighed heavily and looked up into Satsu's hazel eyes.

"What's there to talk about? I've spent the last three years searching for answers when all I get is more questions. I'm looking for a man who I have no idea is alive or dead…I know how that sounds but its true. I feel lost." Buffy said honestly.

"So maybe you should stop looking." Satsu offered.

"I can't do that." Buffy replied.

"Tell me why? And not all the bullshit you spin to everyone else. Tell me the real reason you are still searching for this…vampire? Pardon the truth behind the word." Satsu said.

"I don't know why anymore. I know the reasons why we're searching, but my own reasons…"

"Come on, Buffy. No one spends three years of his or her life searching for no reason. You have one but you don't want to share. Whatever it is, I can handle it."

"I never thought you couldn't."

"So, tell me."

"He's the love of my life. I know you don't want to hear that and I'm sorry for that, but its true. Angel is the love of my life and I know that if I were gone for three years, he wouldn't stop looking for me."

"Would he?" Satsu asked, "Would he really? Do you know him that well to know that he would search for you just as you are for him? From what the others have told me about him it sounds like he's moved on with his life, to a life without you. So how would you know…"

"Because I know!" Buffy cut Satsu off yelling loudly. Buffy stood abruptly and moved towards her window that overlooked the grounds. She turned back towards Satsu and saw the determination in her eyes, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean…"

"Yes you did. Hey, I asked for the truth didn't I?" Satsu said standing. She walked towards Buffy and put her hands on her friend's shoulders. Satsu rubbed Buffy's arms trying to get her to relax.

"That doesn't mean I should yell at you." Buffy said honestly.

"No, but I'm pretty tough, I can take it." Buffy took a step away from Satsu and smiled.

"I know. Still, sorry. My nerves are kind of shot." Buffy said.

"Well I have some news for you. Willow sent me."

"She's awake?" Buffy asked suddenly alert.

"Yeah, she woke up from her five day nap and claimed to know the whereabouts of Angel's pal Gunn." Buffy moved towards the door and stepped into the hall. Satsu followed keeping pace with Buffy easily. Buffy rounded the corner and walked into the control room. Willow was typing away on the computer when Buffy stepped behind her placing a hand on her shoulder. Willow turned to see her friend. She smiled widely and pointed to the screen.

"I found Gunn."

"Where is he?" Buffy asked. Satsu stood in the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest. She leaned against the doorframe as she listened to Willow.

"Believe it or not, he's in Los Angeles. Gunn's original crew is still there, so I suppose it only made sense for them to send Gunn back to his original haunts. The sent Fred to her parents, why not Gunn to who he knows best."

"Why in the world did we not think of that first?" Buffy quipped.

"Because hiding someone in plain sight would make sense?" Willow replied, "Either way, I'm ready to go. One more brain to pick and maybe we'll find something." Willow stood and handed Buffy yet another amulet to protect her from Wolfram & Hart. Buffy smiled and held Willow's hand.

"Shouldn't we wait for Xander and Connor?" Buffy asked.

"No time. Its now or never." Buffy took her friend's hands and within seconds they were gone leaving the girls in the Control Room alone. Satsu remained where she was and smiled to herself. _Figures that a vampire would be what gets her off._ She pushed herself away from the doorframe and walked out of the room.

--

Los Angeles

Buffy hit the ground hard. She smelt concrete and burning rubber as she slowly stood. Willow was standing to her left holding her hand out. Buffy grabbed and stood. She dusted her hands over her pants and put her hands on her hips. Her head started to ache as a new skull crushing migraine began to set in.

"You really need to work on you landings." Buffy said.

"Sorry, but you were the one who let go of my hand." Willow retorted. Together, they stood in front of what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse, if it weren't for the cameras on the outside of the building it just might be.

"This is definitely the place." Buffy said, "If the cameras didn't scream 'secret hideout' then I don't know what would."

"How about the reinforced steel doors and the bars on the windows, or the garlic smell in the air?" Willow offered.

"Ah, the smell of garlic." Buffy retorted. Together they walked towards the large building, stopping short at the large door. On the right hand side of the door was a keypad lock that was blinking green. A camera situated right above the door slowly moved to stop at their faces. A speaker box below the keypad came to life.

"Who are you?" It demanded.

"We're here to see Charles Gunn." Buffy said.

"Who?"

"Look, don't play games with me. I'm not in the mood. If you had any idea who I was you would know that not much could keep me, let alone her, out. Either you get me Charles Gunn or we break down your pathetic door." Buffy stated with authority. She waited only a moment before she raised her fist and let loose on the keypad. The keypad shattered under her fist setting off an alarm. Buffy cocked her head and raised her eyebrow at the camera. Willow placed her hands on either side of the door and closed her eyes. Opening them, her eyes changed from brown to black and green light flashed under her hands. The door whined then burst open. Buffy nodded and walked through what was left of the reinforced steel door. Willow followed dusting off her hands. In front of them were a dozen vampire hunters. At the front of the throng was Charles Gunn. Buffy stood with her legs apart and her arms crossed. Willow's hands crackled with green light as they waited.

"Charles Gunn?" Buffy asked knowing full well that is who it was.

"Whatcha goin' do about it?"

"All I want to do is talk."

"'Bout what?"

"A vampire."

"Don't spend my time makin' friends with vamps. You got the wrong guy."

"See, I don't think so." Buffy could tell that Willow was already doing what she does best, reaching into Gunn's mind as she distracted him, "Word has it you are pretty friendly with a vampire I know. One that I'd like to find." Gunn's head twitched for a moment and Willow released her concentration.

"Buffy." Buffy turned to Willow and looked into her eyes. _His memories are still there!_ Buffy looked back making sure that her face remained straight.

"Don't know no vamps." Gunn repeated.

"Is there somewhere we can talk in private, angel?" Buffy said. Gunn raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"I ain't no angel and I don't want to talk to you." Buffy searched his eyes, his pupils dilated and she could have sworn that his head moved slightly to the right.

"All I'm asking for is a few minutes of your time." Gunn walked up to her and punched her in the face. Buffy let her head snap giving the gang around them some show. She came back around with a hit of her own causing Gunn to lose his footing and hit the ground. He looked up at her and glared. Standing he lunged for her and took hold of her neck. Buffy allowed him to keep her restrained as he put his lips to her ears.

"Not here. They're watching me." Buffy gave a little show struggling slightly. Willow held back knowing that this was nothing more than a game.

"Where?"

"I'll come to you." Gunn released her and pushed her towards the door, "I think its time for the ladies to leave." Buffy rubbed her throat and took hold of Willow's arm.

"We're leaving." Buffy said. Together they left the warehouse. Buffy didn't look back as she crossed the road heading towards the first motel she could find. She walked with determination and confidence. They had an actual lead! Gunn's memories were still there and finally an end to this nightmare was possible.

"Do you have any money on you?" Buffy asked. Willow pulled out several fifty's and handed them to her friend. They checked into the first motel they found and waited.

"What did he say?"

"That he would come to us. Can you make sure that no on can listen in on our conversation with him? Put some kind of spell on the room?"

"Sure. I'll do it." Buffy's body was humming. They were so close to real answers more close than they had been in three years. It only took Willow moments to erect the field around them. She turned to her friend and saw that Buffy's hands were balled into fists. Willow walked to her friend and took her hands. Buffy released her fists and gripped Willow tightly. Together they stood in silence waiting for Gunn to arrive.

--

Buffy must have fallen asleep because at three o'clock in the morning there was a knock at the door. Willow was sitting in a chair beside the window when the knock sounded throughout the room. Buffy sat up abruptly and looked at her friend. _Is the field up?_ Buffy asked. Willow nodded. Buffy got off the bed and went to the door. She looked through the peephole and looked at the figure outside the room. He was tall with a dark hooded sweater covering his face. His hands were in his pockets and he rocked on his heels. Buffy motioned for Willow to come over. Willow stood and walked swiftly to the other end of the room. She put her hands on either side of the door and closed her eyes. She remained there for a moment then stepped back. _It's him._ She thought. Buffy unlocked the door and stepped back. The figure entered the room and Buffy locked the door behind him. Gunn pulled his hood down and looked at the two women.

"Do you have any idea the danger I'm in right now?"

"I appreciate you coming here." Buffy said, "But we're safe talking here. Willow is a very powerful witch. There are wards all over this place."

"Excuse me if I don't believe you. Wolfram & Hart has a tendency to break through such things."

"They won't break through this." Willow said assuredly.

"We'll see." Gunn walked to the window and closed the curtains. He turned back to face them and folded his arms, "Okay. What do you want exactly?"

"My name is Buffy Summers and I need to know about…"

"Buffy Summers? Buffy Summers the Slayer Buffy Summers?"

"Yeah, that would be me."

"Huh. For some reason I thought that you would be, well bigger."

"Thanks. How do you know me?" Buffy asked.

"I don't. I know of you. I know of you because when you died my boss went on some crazy retreat with some killer monks. Oh and he told us about the time you killed him. But not in so many words."

"He was always one of little words." Buffy said.

"Not really. Angel talked a lot about many different things. You just had to read between the lines to figure out what he really meant."

"I guess you would know him better than me."

"I'd like to think so." Gunn sighed and stared ahead, "Seriously, what do you want?"

"For some reason, you still have your memories aside from Connor and we haven't been able to find Angel for over three years. You know what happened and I want you to tell me."

"I wish I could, but I can't."

"What do you mean you can't? Willow searched your mind, you have your memories…"

"I might have them, but if I speak of them, worse things will happen believe me."

"Then answers us this, why do you have your memories?" Willow asked. As Gunn spoke, Willow attempted to reach into Gunn's mind.

"I have my memories because of the Wolfram & Hart upgrade sitting in my head. When we joined on with Hell Incorporated, they gave me this nifty little brain enhancement that pretty much made me their bitch. This nice thing about this little upgrade, they can't tamper with my memory but they can make sure I don't talk about it. If I tell anyone what I know it could potentially be fatal to my friends, even Angel or myself. And they will follow through with it. You don't want to mess with these people." Willow shifted slightly as she tried to break past the barriers in Gunn's head.

"Look there must be something you can tell us? Anything, in code even? I'll take whatever I can get." Buffy said with desperation in her voice. Willow balled her hands into fists as she concentrated harder.

"There's not much to tell. We made a choice, granted it was the wrong choice, but we made the choice nonetheless to take on Wolfram & Hart and the Senior Partners. Those things come with consequences."

"What kind of consequences?"

"We were never going to win. We knew that going in; Angel knew it. We thought we were all going to die that we would fight to the end of our lives. When Angel asked us if we wanted in, we knew it would be to the end. But this…this was something we weren't expecting." Willow fought against the barricades in Gunn's head causing her whole body to shake.

"Gunn, we found Fred and she's living in a fake world; Wesley and Cordelia are dead; god knows where your friend Lorne is, for all we know they sent him back to Pylea. Connor…"

"How is Connor?" Gunn asked.

"He wants to find his father. Can you blame him?"

"Look, I wish I could help you. But I can't. As soon as I try to talk about it my mouth goes numb and I can't talk…its like some kind of fail safe spell. I can get to a certain point and then it just stops. Don't you think I've tried to tell someone?"

"So tell me what you can and we'll piece together the rest." Buffy didn't want to beg but she was willing if it would get Gunn to tell her what he knew.

"If they knew I was talking to you…they are always watching me. I even think some of the guys in my crew work for them to make sure I don't talk."

"How did you get away?" Buffy asked.

"I have my ways. I've learned to take care of myself in order to survive." Willow finally released her concentration breathing hard.

"The wards around your memories are strong. It allows me to see that you know but they prevent the memories from being spoken or retrieved by a third party. Buffy, he's not lying. He literally can't talk about it."

"So because of the fancy upgrade they couldn't erase his memories and in order to keep an eye on him they keep him in L.A. with his crew. I suppose that makes sense."

"Look, I would love to help you find Angel and fix all of this but I…"

"I know, you can't."

"Call me selfish, but I don't really want to die or have numb tongue for several days." Buffy sighed heavily and knew that her final good lead had come to a crashing halt.

"Did you get anything Willow?"

"Only things that reinforces what we saw on the tape. They talked then they disappeared. After that the wards bounce me off." Buffy turned back to Gunn.

"Do you have any idea where Angel might have gone? Where they would have sent him?" Buffy asked stepping towards him. Gunn shook his head and took in a deep breath.

"I'm going to talk, but I've only got about 30 seconds before my tongue's going to go on me and then I'll be blah for several days. I hope this information helps you and I hope you find him and fix this cause I'd really like to move on with my life and not run with this crew forever." Buffy nodded and held her breath.

"The most I can tell you about where Angel is, is that it's somewhere from his past. They said that we were being sent to somewhere where we wouldn't be able to get ourselves into trouble. Fred would go home; I with my crew and Angel would return to a world he had left over two hundred years ago. Angel laughed at them and then there was a flash of light and we were gone. I woke up several days later here with my crew. When I tried to tell them what happened my mouth went numb…kind of like it is now…and I couldn't talk for days. I'm sorry but that's all…" Gunn stopped talking as his tongue swelled in his mouth and his eyes bulged slightly. He gasped for breath as he tried to breath deeply through his nose around his enlarged tongue. Willow went up to him and touched his throat. Within seconds, Gunn was breathing normally through a small hole in the middle of his neck. He nodded thanks to Willow and put his hands up in the air.

"Well that's more than we had before; somewhere from his past. I guess its time to dig into Angel's history even more than we've done before." Gunn adjusted to his new method of breathing as he sat down.

"Shouldn't be too hard. I'm glad we keep a detailed record of Angel's past before most of it was destroyed. I'm sure I can dig deeper to find out more. It might take…"

"Time?" Buffy offered. Willow smiled and nodded to her friend. Gunn didn't say anything as he tried to control his breathing. Buffy walked up to Gunn and placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and tried to smile.

"Thank you." Buffy said. Gunn nodded and waved her away. Buffy took Willow's hand and within seconds they were gone. Gunn shook his head and pulled the hood up. He would be out of commission for several days but it was worth it. Maybe this girl could fix everything and he wouldn't have to worry about this anymore. Gunn took his time going back to the warehouse. He knew there was more consequences to what he'd just done but they didn't need to know that. Gunn shoved his hands in his pockets and slowed his pace. Every time he tried to tell someone about what happened and where they all were someone would have to pay the price. Not only would he not be able to speak for several days but also one of his crew would die. He'd lost several of his friends because he tried several times to tell the truth; eventually he stopped talking. But he was done being silent, it was time to tell the truth and fix what had happened. Gunn stopped in front of the warehouse. They gang was gathered outside standing in a circle. One of Gunn's right hands saw him and walked towards him. He lowered his head and shook his head.

"Don't know what went wrong, man. We had it all under control and then…Pete's dead." Gunn's eyes clouded over and he nodded slowly, "Aren't you goin' say anything?" Gunn shook his head and brought his hood down. His tongue had swelled so that he stuck out slightly and his friend saw the hole in his neck allowing him to breath.

"You just had to open your mouth? You couldn't have just told them to fuck off? Gunn, Pete's dead because of you and now I have to, yet again, cover it up. This has to end man. If you'd stayed quiet…never mind, man. I'm done with this. We're done with this. The only reason you are still part of this crew is because they have spies on the inside. If they didn't, believe me you'd be gone." His friend left him and went to the rest of the gang. Gunn walked towards them, stopped for a moment to look at Pete, then he walked into the warehouse to shut himself off from the world.

--

Scotland

As soon as Buffy and Willow arrived back at the base, they had gone to work diving into Angel's history. Xander and Connor had joined them when they were notified that they had returned. Willow filled them in on everything they had learned from Gunn as Buffy pulled book after book from the shelves in their extensive library.

"So only Gunn and me have our memories, but I don't remember what he does. Why would that be?"

"Were you with them when it happened?" Willow asked.

"No. I was with my adoptive family when it happened. Also, why is there a spell on Gunn and not on me?"

"Again, I think that has to do with your origins." Willow said. Buffy dropped a stack of books on the table and left for some more.

"So what now?" Buffy dropped some more and looked at them all.

"We research. We dig so far into Angel's past that our eyes bleed. We need to know everything there is to know about that man from the moment he was born to the moment he died, to…well I think you get it." She threw a couple of books across the table and smiled, "lets get started." Several hours later, the foursome had constructed a rather impressive tree of Angel's history. Willow, the teacher ever present, had draw up a chart in front of them and for what felt like the hundredth time, they went over all the details.

"1753, Angelus is created. Darla kills him in alley outside a tavern in Ireland. Within a span of two weeks, Angelus had pretty much destroyed the entire village including killing two relatively prominent families: the O'Connor's and the Bristol's. After that, he moved around Ireland for about fifty years hitting all the major cities including Dublin. After that he went over to the England where he met the Master for the first time. He started several inter-village wars and killed thousands. He was also spotted in Russia, Italy, and China in 1900 for the Boxer Rebellion. In 1898, he attacked the gypsy girl that caused him to get cursed. He tried to tour around with Darla for several years after that but soon left her to head to the Americas. From there he was in Nevada, Florida, California, New York State among others. Angel has been, well, everywhere." Willow sat down and rubbed her eyes.

"Well, Gunn said that it was over two hundred years ago so we can rule out anything in the United States. Also, I'm pretty sure if they want him to disappear they are going to send him as far away as they possibly can."

"So they would have sent him to somewhere in our neck of the woods. Was he ever in Scotland? Maybe he's been under our nose the whole time?" Connor offered.

"There is no record of him ever coming to Scotland but its possible." Willow said.

"Does anyone know what Angel's real name is?" Xander asked.

"What?"

"Angel's real name? I mean, he never would have been named Angelus when he was a baby right? So, maybe if we know Angel the human we might find him?" Xander leaned back and put his hands behind his head.

"Sorry, I don't know. All I know is that Angel said at one point that he was Irish." Buffy said.

"How do you know that?" Connor asked.

"Well, two things. One he was turned in Ireland and he can speak Gaelic."

"Gaelic, there are two types: Irish and Scottish, among other forms of old Celtic dialect." Willow said.

"Wait. He was created in Ireland and he can speak Gaelic…wow we are kind of dumb." Connor said, "He's been close this whole time, just not in Scotland. Angel, my dad, is Irish, which means that the best place to hide him is there. It was well over two hundred years ago, which fits Gunn's timeline."

"Ireland. Hmmm. Makes sense." Xander said.

"Okay, so we know Ireland. But where in Ireland?" Buffy asked.

"Not sure but we can get in touch with the team in Dublin to find out if they know anything."

"It's a start." Buffy said.

"It's an amazing start. Its better than what we had several days ago." Xander rubbed Buffy's shoulder and smiled.

"Well, we better get on it. We've worked this hard no point in stopping now." Buffy stood and walked towards the door. She stopped for a moment then turned back. Connor couldn't help but notice how tired she looked. It looked like she was hesitating for a moment in the hopes that there might be something more to say. Finally, she walked towards them again and put her hands on Connor's chair.

"Willow, do you mind doing it for me? I think I might…go to bed."

"Go to bed? Wow I haven't heard you say that in well weeks." Xander said.

"I think for once during this whole three years mess, I'm ready to go and get some real sleep." Connor stood and smiled.

"Me too. I'll go with you…" Xander raised an eyebrow and gave Buffy a crocked smile. Buffy glared at him.

"Harris, shut up."

"I didn't say anything." Xander said offended.

"I'll take care of it." Willow said. Buffy smiled and linked arms with Connor. Together, they walked out and as Buffy left the room she winked at her friends. She smiled wide and left Willow and Xander alone in the library.

--

Connor sat on Buffy's large king sized bed with his arms and legs crossed. He looked around the room and saw absolutely nothing that made the room personal. Only a few pictures a couple objects gave Buffy's room life. They'd spent many nights together but he'd never asked her anything personal nor had he noticed that she didn't have anything personal around. A book sat on the edge of her bedside table. He picked it up and opened it. On the front page was a single word, 'Always.' One simple word that meant nothing to Connor but obviously meant something to Buffy. Inside the book were several words and poems some in English some in a different language. He noticed that some of the pages had dog-ears on them; they must be the ones that she read over and over. He settled back and read one of the poems. He had no idea what it meant, but the page was really worn and well read. He was so involved in the book that he didn't notice that Buffy was watching him.

"Your father gave me that book of poems and proverbs. I have no idea what half of it means but what I do understand, is beautiful."

"When did he give it to you?"

"On my eighteenth birthday. I'd lost all my Slayer powers and he was trying to be sweet. I think it was hard for him to live up to the birthday before, but he did alright." Buffy sat next to him and he handed her the book. She ran her fingers over the pages then closed the book and put it down on the table, "Angel always worked so hard to make me happy. After what had happened, I think he held back a lot more. I wish he hadn't but I suppose that's what you get when you're scared you'll lose control."

"Scared to lose control. I suppose he's the best to understand that." Buffy crawled up to the head of the bed and leaned back next to Connor. She shuffled her feet under the covers and turned to face him.

"Connor, I feel really good about this. Ireland, that's good. We have the first step. The next is to find out where in Ireland. Then from there…who knows."

"Has Willow figured out a way to reverse everything?"

"Not yet. But she will." Buffy bounced down and let her head hit the pillow. She leaned over and turned the light off bathing Connor in moonlight. She turned over onto her side facing Connor. Connor shuffled down and turned to face Buffy. She looked into Connor's eyes and smiled.

"What?"

"You have your father's eyes. Those deep, dark eyes that seem to penetrate right through you."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should. Now, get some sleep." Buffy closed her eyes and turned to face her nightstand where Angel's book sat silent. Tears well in her eyes as she put her hand on the cover. Buffy hugged the covers closer to her body as she felt Connor shift next to her. Buffy rubbed her eyes and lifted her head.

"Connor?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you do me a favour?" Buffy asked.

"Anything."

"Will you…hold me?" Buffy waited a moment and felt Connor fall in behind her. He wrapped his right arm around her. Buffy took hold of his hand and allowed herself to collapse into Connor's arms. They weren't the same as Angel but it felt like him nonetheless. She held Connor's hand close and rested her head against his chest. Connor dropped his chin to rest on her head and closed his eyes. Buffy sighed and closed her eyes. She pictured Angel, his smile, his eyes, everything about him. She reached out to him but he was always to far away from her. Instead of touching him, she just concentrated on his image and for the entire night his image stayed with her, never fading never wavering.


	5. Chapter 5

A Fallen Angel – Chapter 5

Galway, Ireland

It was nine o'clock in the morning and Liam was late. He was supposed to be at his gallery over an hour ago. Three years ago when he'd opened he thought it would be a good side venture to fund his own ambitions to be an artist. What he hadn't counted on was that it had turned into a full time job that he could never get away from. His wife claims its what cost them their marriage, but Liam knew better. He looked at his watch again and cursed under his breath. He poured what was left of his coffee into the sink and placed the cup down gently. He went back into his bedroom and grabbed his tie. He picked up his briefcase and pulled his tie over his head. He walked past the bathroom and stopped in front of a pink door with a large 'C' on the front. He knocked loudly and waited a moment.

"Cassidy! We have to go! I promised your mother we'd meet her so you can stay with her for the weekend." Leaving the door he went back to the kitchen to make sure the coffee pot was turned off. He'd moved into this condo only a week ago and he'd made sure that everything was unpacked and away. His life revolved around organization. He'd only been in the place for one night and pretty much everything was put away. This had been Cassidy's first night here and before she'd even arrived he'd made sure that all her things were in her new room. He'd even painted it her favourite colour, pink. He'd left the unpacking to her because, like him, she enjoyed doing those things for herself. Everything had its own place. He waited for a second longer before he called her name again.

"Cassidy! We really have to go!" Moments later she was behind him. Her backpack in hand and an oversized sweater on her body, "What are you wearing that for? Its way to big for you and it looks like it belongs to a boy."

"Dad, it's freezing out there. Come on its not a big deal and its not a boys." His daughter's sixteenth birthday was coming up and he knew that she wanted him to take her seriously but it was difficult when she was his little girl.

"Fine, I'll believe you this once." He ushered her to the door and together they headed out into the cold winter weather. The icy wind hit them in the face when they left his new building. A doorman held the door for them and nodded his head. Liam's car was waiting for them. They jumped in and Liam sped off to meet Cassidy's mother at his gallery, Joyce. Traffic was relatively heavy for this time in the morning with no school running, but they managed to make it within a half hour. Liam pulled into his parking space and shoved the car into park. Cassidy was out first heading for the back door into the gallery. Liam followed watching as a large freight truck pulled up. Samantha was waiting on the dock. Closing the door to the car and setting the alarm, Liam walked up to her.

"Is this the new exhibit we've been waiting for?"

"Yep. This would be it. Only about five days late." She retorted.

"Well let's hope that this time there is nothing damaged." Liam said walking away from her. She smiled at him and rolled her eyes. Liam walked back towards the back entrance and entered the gallery. His office was to the left and the staff room to the right. He smiled at the girls sitting around the table with their coffee cups. They smiled back and waved. Liam went to the front of the building to the large reception desk where Tiffany was filing papers and answering the phone. The gallery was filled with several people looking around and some small time art collectors. He tapped Tiffany on the shoulder and she turned dropping her files.

"Oh! Liam." She bent to pick them up at the same time as Liam did. He handed her several sheets and smiled.

"I didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't, it's just been a long morning." She said.

"Sorry I'm late. It's been…one of those mornings." He replied.

"No problem, we've managed." She said turning back to the ringing phone. She answered it quickly then hung up. She continued with her work as Liam walked around the desk to where Cassidy was standing with her mother. Alanna smiled at him and rubbed her arms.

"Liam, thanks for bringing her here."

"No problem. Its not like it was out of the way." Liam replied.

"Okay, mom. Can we go?" Cassidy began to walk away from her dad when Liam finally caught on that something was up.

"What, no goodbye for your dad?" He offered.

"Bye dad." Cassidy quickly kissed him on the cheek and moved towards the door. Alanna began to follow when Liam put his hands on his hips and chuckled.

"Okay, what's up that you don't want me to know about?" He said.

"Nothing, why would something be up?" Cassidy began to fidget and looked at her feet. Liam looked to Alanna and she smiled and shook her head. A motion indicating that it was up to Cassidy to tell him. Liam waited and waited.

"Fine!" Cassidy looked up at him and crossed her arms angrily, "I've been asked to go to the winter formal, with a boy, and I want to go. Mom says I can."

"The winter formal? Like a school dance?"

"Its way more important than a dance dad. Look a senior has asked me, do you know how often that happens? Never! I have to go."

"A senior? Like a boy who is eighteen and thinks of nothing but…"

"Don't say it dad!"

"What its true, I was an eighteen year old once, that's all I thought of…"

"Dad, that's gross." Cassidy walked up to him and took hold of his hand and batted her eyelashes, "Please daddy. I have to go, its super important. Please. You know I'll beg you for like ever until you say yes." She pouted and bounced on her feet. Liam rolled his eyes and sighed heavily.

"Fine. You can go but I want to meet him."

"What! No! You'll only embarrass me!" Cassidy exclaimed, "Mom, please don't let him meet him. You know he'll get all over protective."

"I'm with your father on this one. Joey can pick you up at your fathers."

"Joey?" Liam echoed.

"See, he's already starting."

"I am not. You're my daughter and I want you to be safe. So its either I meet him or you don't go. Pick." Liam said firmly.

"Fine! You win! Now, can we go?" Cassidy bounced towards the door and opened it leaving the gallery. She blew her father a kiss and was gone. Alanna slowly walked away from Liam.

"Well, we'll see you later." She said.

"We will. When is this dance?" He asked.

"Two weeks, we are going dress shopping." She replied.

"Nothing to…revealing." Liam said.

"Oh, trust me, it won't be." She answered. She smiled at him again then followed her daughter. Liam didn't really know how he felt about his daughter going to the dance, especially with a senior, but she was growing up and there wasn't much he could do about it. Shaking his head, he went back to the front desk to make sure that everything was going well for the day.

"So, what's on my list for today?" He asked her.

"Not a lot actually. You have one meeting and that's about it." She replied.

"Good, that means I can get my hands dirty with the new exhibit. Let me know when my appointment arrives." He said to her walking towards the back. Tiffany nodded and watched him leave. When he stepped into the back, Samantha was signing the last of the forms. He took his coat off and took hold of a crowbar. The driver left and Samantha stood in front of him.

"Well, I guess its time to find out what the damage is." She said. Liam placed the crowbar under the lid of one of the crates and began to open the exhibit from Egypt. After four hours of opening and unpacking, Liam and Samantha stood back and surveyed the exhibit. Thankfully, nothing was broken and everything had arrived at the same time. Liam handed Samantha a bottle of water and sat down on an empty crate. She took a large swig of water then stood behind her boss. She put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed.

"Well, it's all here, at the same time; nothing is broken and it's only took us four hours to unpack. Wonder how long it will take to set up?" She said with a raised eyebrow.

"It's only half the real exhibit, so in theory it shouldn't take that long. I've got Daniel coming up to help us assemble everything."

"Liam, the last time Daniel helped us he was drunk and nearly broke a priceless artifact, are you sure you want him to help us?" She asked turning to face her boss.

"He'll be alright this time. I promise."

"Sure." She finished her water and turned leave, "I'm going to go and make sure the area this is going into has been cleared out by the night guys and its been taped off. Then we can start."

"Sounds good." Just then Tiffany came back and put her hands on her hips. Liam looked at his watched and sighed, "Meeting?" He said.

"Yeah, did you forget?"

"No, we just finished."

"Sure you didn't. Fine, the buyers are here." She left her boss to pick up his coat and follow her back into the main lobby. The art buyers were standing in front of the desk with their black briefcases and smiles. Liam nodded and sighed. Art buyers were like sharks, they never gave up until they get what they want. He sauntered over to them and extended his hand; by doing so, he had just thrown himself in with those sharks.

--

Two hours later, Liam had sold several more of his own works including securing a new artists silent auction that would showcase all the local artists. When they had left he put his elbows on his desk and put his face in his hands. He rubbed his eyes and looked at the clock on the side of the table. It was just about closing time and Liam was ready to go home. He got up from his desk and locked his office. Tiffany was making the final announcement for closing when Liam came out from behind the back. She smiled at him and jerked her head towards where the new exhibit going in. Daniel was working with Samantha and the shadows they cast danced around the darkened room. He walked towards them and smiled.

"Got this under control there, Daniel?" He asked.

"I think I can manage." Daniel replied. Half the exhibit was up. The problem with being a small art gallery was there was very little help when you got the green light for a major exhibit like this one.

"We'll be fine boss. Why don't you go home?" Samantha replied. Liam trusted Sam, not just because she was one of the strongest women he knew, but because she had dated Daniel for years and could handle him just fine.

"I think I'll stick around for a bit and help you guys out for a while. Might take my mind off things." Liam put his coat down and helped Daniel lift a rather large statue. They spent another four hours making sure the exhibit was ready for the opening tomorrow. It was almost two in the morning when they called it quiets and all headed home. Liam was the last one to leave. He locked the front door and pulled his coat on and shoved his keys in his pockets. Pulling his scarf tight, Liam walked towards his car. The wind picked up and hit him in the face. He tucked his head down in an attempt to shield himself from the cold. Pushing his hands into his pockets, he picked up the pace wanting nothing more than to get out of the cold. The full moon above shone down on the ground casting an eerie glow in front of him. His shadow danced on the buildings as he walked by them; he then realized that there was another shadow on the face of the buildings following his own. Liam stopped for a moment to exam the shadow; his heart quickened as he watched the shadow get closer. Normally he wasn't so nervous about things but there had been some strange things happening to him lately that he couldn't explain. Liam started moving again; he pulled his keys out of his pocket when he saw his car and clicked the alarm off. He opened the door quickly and jumped in locking it behind him. He looked towards where the shadow was coming from and saw nothing. He looked behind him and saw nothing. Breathing a sigh of relief, Liam started the ignition and sat back. Suddenly a figure appeared beside him and tapped on his window. Liam's heart picked up a pace and he looked to the figure. The man beside his car leaned down and made a motion for Liam to roll the window down. Liam hesitated a moment but complied.

"Can I help you?" Liam asked heart still racing. The man handed him a package and smiled. His teeth were pointed but a hood covered his face. The man then turned and walked away, rather quickly, and within seconds he disappeared. Liam rolled his window up as fast as he could and threw the package on the passenger seat. The car was still running but Liam waited several moments before putting the car into gear. Liam sped away from the curb a little too quickly; the tires skidded slightly but stuck sending the car hurtling into the night towards Liam's home.

--

Liam arrived to a dark and empty home. He was happy that he'd bought his own condo, but when his daughter wasn't there, it seemed less than homely. As he entered the house, he threw his keys down and turned on the lights. The mysterious package he'd been handed earlier was in his hand. He wasn't sure if he should open it as he played with it, turning it over in his hands. He chose to ignore it, for the moment. He threw the manila envelope onto his kitchen table and headed for the cupboard above the fridge. He opened it and looked. Inside sat a bottle of whiskey. Liam brought it down and opened the bottle. He set the bottle on the table and smelled it. Liam had been a recovering alcoholic for three years. He'd landed himself in the hospital from drinking and driving. When he'd woken up three years ago after being in a coma for several years, he'd promised his family he'd never touch it again. He'd stuck to that promise; he hadn't touched a drink in three years. More recently he'd taken to simply smelling it. It was a sad fact, but kicking alcohol had been a lot harder than he'd expected. He put the cap back on the bottle and put it back in the cupboard. Liam then opened the fridge and took out the filtered water. He poured a glass and downed the entirety. He put the glass in the sink and walked to his room. Turning on the shower, Liam stripped down and spent half an hour trying to soak away the pain of the day. He knew that he should simply just go to bed because he would need to be up in two hours, but the hot water felt good. When he was done, he pulled the sheets back and fell down into his bed. He looked at the clock, three thirty in the morning, within seconds he was asleep.

The atmosphere around him was familiar yet wrong. It was like he was in a different time. Firm hands took hold of his shoulders and threw him towards the pavement. His cloths smelt like smoke and booze. Another man hit the pavement after him. His wet hair was long and in his face. He felt dizzy and his head was swimming because of the amount of alcohol in his system. His friend grabbed his shoulder and helped pull him to his feet.

"_We'll get your money! Just give us time."_

"_You are out of time. Now get out of here." The door to the tavern slammed in their faces. Liam stood slowly and held his head. He put his arm over his friends shoulder and pulled him away from the door._

"_Not to worry, we'll go and steal some of me father's silver. It should get us back in."_

"_You said that the last time, mate."_

"_I mean it. Me father has large amounts of silver, we just need to go and get it then we will be able to pound back some more ale." Liam shift slightly as he saw her. She was standing in the middle of the ally, her blonde hair piled high on her head. She looked over her shoulder and made eye contact. She smiled at him, and then began to walk away. Liam's friend continued to talk as he fell down and hit the pavement. Liam looked down at him and left him as he headed towards the beautiful woman. She was waiting for him. He walked up to her and smiled._

"_A woman like you should really have an escort home. I could walk you." The world around him seemed like something out of the eighteenth century. He knew that it was but as bizarre as this felt, it all felt so real. Like he'd been there before._

"_I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself."_

"_I'm sure you could." She leaned towards him and smiled._

"_I've been to so many places, I think I've learned to take care of myself. You never know who could be lurking in a the shadows." She said._

"_I've never been anywhere myself."_

"_The world is an amazing place, I could show you."_

"_Could you now?" She ran a hand down his arm and placed the other in a tight grip around his waist._

"_Close your eyes." Liam complied closing his eyes tight. He figured he would simply get laid, but instead a burning sensation flew up his throat. His eyes flew open as he felt his life drain from his body…_

Liam shot up in his bed. His hand shot to his throat running his hand up and down to make sure there was nothing there. The left side of his throat was burning as his hand touched the tender skin. Liam threw the covers off and went into the bathroom. He turned on the light and looked at himself in the mirror. He turned his head to the right and examined the left side of his neck. It was red and sore but fully intact. He turned the water on and splashed his face. Grabbing the towel, Liam dried his face off and looked at himself in the mirror again. His features appeared to be the same; they hadn't twisted or moved into the misshapen image he'd seen in his dream. The woman was so beautiful, and then she was monstrous. He laughed to himself for a moment shaking his head. He hadn't had a dream like that in years. But for some reason, they were becoming more and more frequent. He left the bathroom and turned the light out. He left his room and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. He picked up the same cup he'd used before bed and filled it directly from the tap. He down the glass and put the cup again. It was then that he noticed the package on the table. He walked towards the table and picked it up. He turned the envelope over one more time before he decided to rip it open. Inside were two pictures. They were both of himself: one was identical to his dream, he had long hair that was a mess and his cloths dated to the eighteenth century. The second was of him again only this time he looked disfigured, like the woman in his dream. Frowning, Liam turned them over to see three words written on the back of each: Find the Truth. Liam turned them back over and screwed his nose up. He crumpled the pictures up and threw them in the garbage. Whoever that person was, he didn't need this. The clock on the stove said four thirty, he'd only been asleep for an hour. Liam rolled his eyes and headed back into his bedroom. He went back into the bathroom and dug out his sleeping pills. Several months ago he'd started to find it hard to sleep at night. The doctor had prescribed these pills for him to take when he couldn't get to sleep at night. Taking one, Liam went back to his bed and pulled the covers around his waist. He lay looking at the ceiling as the pill cycled through his system. It only took ten minutes before he began to feel the effects. He fell asleep thinking of the strange woman in his dream and the pictures of himself that were hiding in that envelope. Twisted images circled in his mind as he finally fell asleep.

--

A loud banging sounded throughout the condo causing Liam to open his eyes. His head was swimming with images and sounds resonated in his ears. He almost didn't hear the banging until his brain registered that it wasn't happening in his dreams but in real life. Frowning, Liam rolled over to look at the clock, one thirty in the afternoon. His eyes widened as he slowly got out of bed. His sheets were slightly wet with sweat and his body was cold. He shivered and grabbed his housecoat. Pulling it on he yelled at the banging.

"Hold on!" He walked towards the door and opened it. His sister was standing on the other side with her hands on her hips. She looked angry and without a word barged into the house. Liam shut the door behind her and pulled the housecoat tighter. She paced for a moment then stood to stare at her brother. Her belly seemed to be bigger than before but he could tell from the look on her face that she was very upset.

"Have you been in bed this whole time? Do you know what time it is?" She demanded.

"I had a rough night, a long night…just a bad night. What's wrong with me sleeping in? I don't have to work today." Liam went into the kitchen and turned on the coffee pot. Thank god he'd set it up last night. He waited, impatiently, for the coffee to start falling into the pot.

"No you didn't have to work, but we had a lunch date with mom for her birthday that you completely blew off." She said. Liam hit his forehead turning to face her.

"Shit! Was that today?" She didn't answer his rhetorical question, "Sorry Catherine. I swear, I didn't mean to forget. I really did have a rough night."

"Sure you didn't. You look like shit, are you okay?" She asked him sitting down slowly.

"I worked really late, then some weird guy stalked me to my car, then I had the strangest dream and couldn't get back to sleep and had to take a pill…its been a long night."

"You don't have to be at the gallery today?"

"No, we're closed for the day to open tonight for the new Egypt exhibit." Liam poured a cup of coffee and took a sip. The warm liquid felt good. Before he knew it, the cup was gone. He poured another and polished it off. His sister gave him a strange look as she crossed her arms.

"Slow down. Isn't that hot?" She asked. Liam put the cup down and smiled.

"Sorry, I've just been really thirsty lately. Can't seem to quench it." He finished the cup then set it in the sink.

"Well, it doesn't matter. If you want to hurry up and shower and get your ass in gear we can take mom to a late afternoon lunch."

"Sure. Give me fifteen minutes."

"Starting, now." She said.

"What are you going to wait for me?" He asked.

"Yep. So get moving." Liam laughed and headed back to his bedroom for yet another shower.

--

Scotland

"Why does this have to be so difficult?" Buffy questioned throwing down yet another book. The gang had spent yet another long day attempting to find out where Angelus was created. They knew it was in Ireland, but they had no idea where. Buffy had gone through every Watcher's journal they had saved, including Giles', and they had found nothing. Willow had spent several hours trying to get a hold of Giles but he seemed to be MIA all the time. They hadn't actually spoken to Giles in years but they figured if anyone knew where to find Angel it would Giles.

"I don't know. Its like nothing actually gives reference to a town, only the country." Xander put another book down as well and rubbed his eyes, "Have the Slayers come up with anything?"

"Nothing yet. They work out of the capitol, so it's hard for them to get around to all the smaller towns. But they're working on it."

"We should go there." Connor said standing. Buffy raised her eyebrow and leaned back in her chair.

"Seriously, we've spent all our time doing nothing but research. Why not get our hands dirty for once. Other than hunting down Fred and Gunn and continuing the search for Lorne, but come on, we have a location. We just need to narrow it down and if the Slayers only have so much power, well why can't we go too?" Buffy didn't answer. She wasn't sure if she was ready to find him; what would she say? What would she do? But she knew that Connor was right. The research end of things was over. There was nothing left but to search the one location they had.

"You're right. Lets go." Buffy stood and proceeded to walk towards the exit.

"Are you sure about this?" Xander asked. Willow hit him and he rubbed his arm.

"What else is there to do? We've expanded all our efforts here, I think its time to get right to it." Buffy replied.

"Be careful." Willow said with a smile, "We'll keep looking here." Buffy smiled back and nodded. She grabbed Connor's shoulder and turned him around. They left the library and headed towards the helipad.

"Shouldn't we get some cloths or something?" Connor asked.

"Nah, we can get some there." She tapped on the door and nodded to the Slayer who operated the helicopter.

"What can I do for you Buffy?" She asked.

"We're heading to Ireland. Can you get us there relatively quickly?" The Slayer got up out of her seat and grabbed her back.

"Sure, but I think we need to take something a little more comfortable. The helicopter is hard going for that long a trip. Give me ten, and we'll be off the ground." Buffy nodded and headed back towards the dormitories.

"Pack fast." She said to Connor. Connor smiled and ran towards his room. Within ten minutes he had met her back at the landing strip. Buffy was already waiting. Their jet, yes they had a jet, was waiting for them. Together they walked towards it and climbed up the stairs. It was small but it worked for them. As the door closed behind them and the seat belt light came one, Buffy and Connor braced themselves for takeoff. Buffy hated to fly; it always made her sick when they took off.

"I called ahead. They know we're coming." She told him as she closed her eyes. Connor took Buffy's hand and she squeezed tight. He looked ahead and smiled. For a Slayer, it was sure funny to see her afraid of flying. It was going to be a long flight, so Connor figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to get some sleep.

--

Several hours later, the jet landed at the airport in Dublin. The head of the Slayer team here was waiting for them as they got off their plane. Buffy had told Katy, the Slayer who flew them, to head back to Scotland. There wasn't any need for her to stay. After she had fueled up, the plane was in the air and out of sight. Megan was waiting for them with a car.

"Good to have you here." She said. Her Irish accent was relatively thick and made Buffy wonder if she was going to get one while being her. She'd managed to avoid the Scottish on so for, but she heard this one was easier to pick up. Connor shook her hand and followed her to the car.

"So, where do we start?" Connor asked.

"It's good to see someone whose ready and willing to lend a helping hand."

"It's why we're here." Connor replied. They drove for several minutes before the car turned off and headed up a large hill towards nowhere. After another twenty minutes of driving a large castle appeared ahead of them.

"You guys really don't want to be found do you?" Connor asked. Neither girl said anything but continued to stare ahead. They parked the car and Megan led them into the large structure. Several lights were on but the halls were relatively dark.

"The girls are out searching the island. We know he's not in Northern Ireland. We were not well received up there. When we mention the name Angelus, we get a lot of vampires turning away and a lot of demons ignoring our questions. Most people don't like to talk about him. Angelus is not a name that is well like in these parts. We've had some rumours that a man looking like Angelus is living on the Atlantic coast. That is where we were headed next."

"That was fast."

"Like I said, Angelus is not well liked here. He did a lot of damage in Ireland when he was created." Megan stopped at their own control room where the girls were talking on the phone and monitor the screens.

"This is too weird." Connor said.

"Almost all the cells operate in the same way. Its how we stay in touch with each other." Buffy said to him. Megan continued talking.

"I just sent several girls down the south coats towards Waterford and Cork. Another group is headed northwest towards Donegal. If you want, you can be part of the team headed west to Galway?"

"Sure."

"Galway might be our best bet. That is where the sightings have been. Galway is right on the Atlantic Ocean and rumour has it that is where Angelus was first spotted over two hundred and fifty years ago. So most of them are heading there, including myself."

"Lets go. How long will it take to get there?" Buffy asked. She was rather tired from the flight to Ireland, but she was willing to torture herself more if it meant she would find Angel faster.

"It won't take too much longer, two hours forty-five, at the most."

"Well lets get going." Connor said picking up his bag. Megan smiled and told the girl on her left that she was in charge while she was gone. The three left the room and headed back to the car. While they were gone, the car had been fueled and ready to go for the two-hour trip to Galway. As they drove back down the hill and out to the M4 highway, Buffy couldn't help but think of the time she had imagined Angel bringing her here and showing her around his hometown. A pillow was sitting on the back seat and she reached her hand back to get it. Connor handed it to her and smiled as he put in his iPod. Smiling back, Buffy laid her head on the pillow and closed her eyes. A two-hour nap sounded really good.

--

Three hours later, they had checked into a hotel just off the highway. Connor fell down into his chair and rubbed his eyes. On the beds were three boxes, each with their names on it. Megan raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"They must have found something."

"Why does it have to be so cold here?" Buffy asked, moving to turn up the heat.

"Because it's December and it's cold." Megan said.

"Haha." Buffy said mockingly. Megan opened the box and pulled out a dress. Inside the box was a flyer for an art gallery. She handed Connor the flyer and he smiled.

"So, now we have to get dressed up and go to an opening?" He gave the flyer to Buffy whose eyes widened, "What? You don't want to get dressed up?"

"No, look at the name of the gallery." Buffy said handing back.

"Joyce. So? Do you know something about his place?" He asked.

"Joyce was my mother's name. It can't be a coincidence." She said.

"If his memories are gone, how would he remember that name?" Megan asked opening the other two boxes. She handed Connor the tux and laid out Buffy's dress.

"I don't know. But it has to be him. Obviously it is or the girls wouldn't have sent us these dresses and that flyer." Buffy said.

"One way to find out." Connor said stripping his shirt off. Buffy smiled and picked up the red dress in front of her. The three of them dressed quickly and picked up their tickets for the opening. Buffy's heart was racing. As they left the hotel a large white limo was waiting for them. Buffy couldn't believe that after three years of searching, this was finally becoming a reality. Connor took her hand and her nerves began to ease. It was easy to have Connor around, he reminded her so much of his father that it was almost like he was there. Buffy knew her track record for using men, but at this moment she didn't really care. They only reason she was getting through all of this was because of Connor. The limo pulled up to the entrance of the gallery. Together, the trio left the limo Megan on one side and Buffy on the other. Buffy could tell that Connor loved the double attention and she nudged just a little closer. Connor handed the muscle man at the door their invitation and nodded. They entered the gallery and in an instant, split off from each other to search the room.

--

Liam held onto his champagne glass a little too tightly. He hated openings; there was nothing in the world that would make this easier. The Egypt exhibit was the biggest thing to hit his small gallery in years. It seemed like everyone in Galway was here. He could see his parents and his sister. His father smiled at him and raised his glass. Liam nodded and took a sip of his own. His mother hung onto his father and hugged him. Liam didn't think there was a time in his life that he'd seen his parents more proud of him. His sister watched him and shook her glass back and forth. Liam smiled and put the glass of champagne down. She nodded at him and turned back to her husband. Liam picked the glass up again and walked away. Alanna and her brother stood together not paying attention to him. His daughter was hanging off the arm of one of the caterers causing Liam to frown. Putting the glass down again he headed towards them. He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and turned him around.

"Back to work." He said. Cassidy frowned at her dad and pouted.

"Daddy…"

"No. Now go and stand with your mother before I hurt him." She stuck out her tongue at him and walked away. Shaking his head he walked towards Tiffany and the guest list. Tiffany was wearing a gorgeous black dress that left little to the imagination. Liam had always wondered why he'd never taken Tiffany up on her offers, but he'd been married at the time. He wasn't married anymore. She smiled at him and hugged him.

"I can't believe the turn out!" She said.

"I know. Its crazy."

"You did good for once. The next big one will be the silent auction of new talent. I'm really proud of you." She said. Liam smiled.

"Thank you. That means a lot coming from you." Liam looked at the door and saw Samantha enter with Daniel on her arm. Liam shook his head as they walked towards him.

"So, is this a fresh start?" He asked them. Daniel smiled wide but Sam rolled her eyes.

"He's my date. I'm not taking him home."

"We'll see about that." Daniel replied. Sam scoffed and dragged him towards the exhibit they'd spent hours setting up. Liam laughed and kissed Tiffany on the cheek leaving her with the bouncer. Liam walked through the small space looking at the faces of art buyers, art collectors and the high and mighty of Galway. The mayor had even shown up. Liam put his hands in his pockets and stifled a yawn. He really was tired. He hadn't had a good night sleep in weeks. His nightmares were becoming more and more violent and more frequent. He rubbed his eyes and put his hands behind his back. Standing by the desk, Liam noticed a woman standing opposite him. She was stunning; she wore a backless red dress that scooped low in the front. It hugged her petite frame and accentuated each curve of her body. Her hair fell down her back slightly tied at the base, curls cascading over her shoulder. There was something familiar about the small blonde goddess standing on the other side of the room that Liam couldn't shake. He continued to stare are her as she shifted and turned to face him. She locked eyes with him and the intense green caused his heart to pick up in pace. Her eyes widened when she looked at him; it was like she recognized him. Liam smiled at her as he leaned against the desk. The woman quickly looked to her right then to her left. Liam attempted to follow her line of sight but saw nothing. He continued to look at her as she brought her line of sight back to settle on him. Her features in check, she began to slowly move towards him fighting her way through the throngs of people. Liam decided to wait for her instead of meet her half way. He watched her walk towards him with purpose. His smile widened and his heart raced. What was so enticing about her? Something stirred in him; she felt so familiar but the memory seemed too distant to obtain. She finally reached him; her hands on her hips her lips slightly parted. Liam moved away from the table to stand in front of her. Her eyes locked with his and she raised her hand. Slowly she touched his face and her hand ran down his cheek. Tears brimmed at her eyes. Liam cocked his head to the side wondering what was so upsetting that it would make this beautiful creature cry. She dropped her hand and said a single word:

"Angel?"


	6. Chapter 6

A Fallen Angel – Chapter 6  
*NOTE - this chapter contains some minor course language*

Buffy felt so awkward wearing this dress. Every few minutes she was pulling at it trying to make sure that nothing was falling out. She had watched the crowd for several minutes before she noticed that Connor had ducked behind the "Staff Only" sign and Megan had gone into the exhibit to look around. There were lots of people here; she looked through the flyer her eyes resting on the name once more, Joyce. A tray came around with champagne and Buffy took a glass downing it in a single gulp. She put the glass back down and shrugged at the waiter. She scanned the crowd again allowing her eyes to rest on the figure leaning against the main desk. He wore a black suit, not a tux, with a black shirt and black tie. His hair was exactly how she remembered it; he was slightly bigger in build than she remembered but there was no mistaking those eyes. He was looking right at her. His deep, soulful eyes piercing through her as they had years ago. He smiled his famous crocked smile and held her gaze. Buffy's heart skipped a beat. _Oh my god. He's here. It's him it's really him._ Buffy quickly looked to her left then to her right trying to see if Connor or Megan had returned. Neither of them were in sight. She took in a breath and swallowed hard. Slowly she began to move through the crowd never taking her eyes off him for a second in fear that he would disappear. It felt like an eternity before she reached him. He pushed himself off the desk and stood in front of her, his large frame engulfing her in his shadow. Her eyes filled with tears as she reached up to touch his face. He didn't stop her simply stood there. She let her hand fall and began to breath again. She could only say one word:

"Angel?" He laughed at her and smiled.

"I wouldn't say I'm an angel, but thank you for the compliment nonetheless." His Irish accent was thick making him sound slightly different than she remembered, but there was no mistaking that this man in front of her was Angel. Buffy shook her head and mentally reminded herself that Angel's memories were most likely tampered with like Fred's.

"Sorry," She managed to get out. She cleared her throat and smiled, "You look familiar that's all." Liam smiled and crossed his arms behind his back.

"Familiar in what sense?" He asked.

"I don't know, but I'm sure I'll figure it out." She smiled wide and held out her hand, "Buffy Summers."

"Buffy Summers, that is an interesting name." He took it and shook it slightly before lifting it to kiss the back, "Liam O'Connor. It's a pleasure to meet you." Buffy's heart jumped again. His lips were warm, warmer than she ever remembered them to be. He held her hand longer than necessary allowing Buffy the chance to move her fingers to feel for the one thing that Angel wouldn't have. The pulse pounding in his wrist was strong and seemed to jump as her hand touched his wrist. Buffy tried not to look surprised. She pulled her hand back and smiled picking up another drink from a tray that was working it way through the crowd. She downed it and set it back down. Liam laughed.

"I've never met someone who can do that other than myself." He offered.

"There are a lot of things about me that you might find surprising." She said in return.

"Really? Might be interesting to find out."

"You may not like what you see." He was flirting! She'd never seen Angel flirt before; this was a side of him she was unfamiliar with. She could play this game well if need be. What she needed to do was find Connor and Megan. She had to tell them she had found him but his memories appeared to be gone. She turned to look over her shoulder and heard, Liam, scoff. She turned back with surprise in her eyes.

"What?"

"You're not looking for an out already are you? I haven't even started yet." Buffy smiled and shook her head.

"No, I'm just looking for…"

"Someone?" Buffy laughed slightly and crossed her arms.

"Yeah, someone."

"Maybe I can help you?" Liam offered.

"Are you always this nice to every girl you meet?" She asked.

"Only the ones I like."

"I suppose I should feel honoured then." Liam shifted and turned her towards the crowd his hand lingering on her backside. Buffy's heart jumped again. Liam surveyed the crowd then looked down into her emerald eyes.

"It would help if you'd tell me who you're looking for?" He said. Buffy shifted and his hand slid down her back to rest on the small of her back. She put a hand on his arm and smiled.

"At the present moment, they don't seem to matter."

"Well, if you have no pressing engagement with someone else, I'd love to show you the exhibit."

"A personal tour? Hmmm, I'm sure you offer it to all the pretty girls." Buffy allowed him to walk her towards the entrance to the exhibit. She noticed a young girl looking at them with a frown on her face. Another one looked at them with venom in her eyes. Buffy ignored them and focused on Angel. Liam didn't seem to notice the few people who were staring at them as they walked by. Buffy saw Megan and attempted to connect with her mind. Most of the cell leaders were trained for mind communication thanks to Willow and Megan happened to be Willow's best student.

_Well, I'd say they found him._

_Looks like you did as well._

_Find Connor; tell him we've found him but that his memories are gone. He has no idea who I am._

_Will do. Can you handle this on your own? _Concern sounded in Buffy's head.

_Yes. I got this. I'll meet you both back at the hotel._ The link severed and Megan moved away from the exhibit to the back rooms where Connor and snuck off to. Buffy continued to walk with Liam into the Egypt exhibit. He finally removed his hand from the small of her back and held his hands behind his back.

"So, Buffy. Where are you from?" He asked.

"Originally, California. More recently, Scotland."

"Ah, I figured with a name like Buffy you would be from the United States."

"And what's wrong with a name like Buffy?" She asked raising an eyebrow.

"Absolutely nothing. It's just not that common in these areas. So why Scotland?" He asked.

"It's a really long story." She said to him trying to avoid the subject.

"I've got time." Liam said.

"Maybe another time."

"Fair enough. So what brings you to Ireland?"

"I've heard the art scene is amazing." She said moving to look at a rather large statue.

"You like art?" He asked. Buffy smiled and shook her head.

"No, not really. My mother owned a gallery back in Sunnydale and I always found it relatively boring." Liam laughed and stood next to her.

"Then why are you at an exhibit opening?"

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you." She said to him moving away. Liam smiled and stood for a moment. He crossed his arms again and shook his head. For a moment he simply looked at her. Where had this woman come from? He'd thought he was going to have a boring night of buyers and collects talking his ear off about this and that. But instead, he found a blonde goddess who was much more intriguing. There was no way he was about to let this one get away from him. He hadn't been single in years; he and Alanna had been married for nearly 16 years before their split last year. It'd been years since he'd flirted or been attracted to another woman in the way he was with this Buffy Summers. Sure he had random sexual encounters since the separation, but nothing like this. He watched her move through the exhibit; she sometimes looked back at him as if she expected him to disappear. He smiled and walked towards her.

"You act like I'm going to disappear. We've only just met, doesn't that happen much later in a relationship?" He asked handing her another glass of champagne. She accepted and took a sip.

"Maybe I like you." She said hoping that the small phrase might trigger some kind of memory from when they first met.

"Maybe? Well, I might be able to work with that."

"Look, I don't know what you might be thinking, but I'm not that kind of girl." She said walking away from him her shoulders and hips swaying.

"I would never assume that you were." Liam stood beside her and watched some of the patrons go by. He noticed his father in the corner towards the exhibit entrance, his eyebrows raised as if asking him what he was doing. Liam shrugged slightly and sauntered back towards Buffy. She looked at him over her shoulder and smiled coyly.

"So, what made you get into the art business?" She asked.

"Well, I've always been interested in art, ever since I was a little boy. Some of the work you see here I've actually done. None of these exhibits, but if you look around at the other works in the gallery some are mine. Because of my love of art, it only seemed natural for me to open a gallery."

"That simple huh? Seemed logical?"

"Well, actually it was my wife's idea…" Liam caught himself and cursed, "Ex-wife. Well soon to be. I had…have a drinking problem and it landed me in a coma for a very long time. By the time I woke up, my job and life were pretty much gone. It was her idea that I foster my love of art and open this gallery."

"You're married?" Buffy's voiced sounded small and Liam picked up on it.

"Soon to be divorced. I only have a few weeks left before the papers can officially go through."

"What happened, if you don't mind me asking?" Buffy asked averting her eyes.

"She cheated on me while I was opening the gallery. It was long hours and long days and she felt I wasn't paying enough attention to her. At least that is what I assume."

"I'm sorry." Buffy replied looking into his eyes.

"Don't be. I'm not. I love Alanna, but I suppose it wasn't meant to be."

"I suppose that's the attitude to have when your marriage falls apart." Buffy offered.

"Am I sounding callous? I try hard not to, but sometimes it just comes out. I loved Alanna more than anything and she betrayed that. The trust between us is gone; she did stick by me for a lot of my drinking and I've tried really hard to make things work but…" Liam trailed off.

"Well sometimes these things are just meant to be, as you said." Buffy put the glass down suddenly guilty that she was drinking in front of him. Liam laughed and picked it back up. He handed it to her and she took it.

"You can drink in front of me. I'll be okay." She finished it and put it down.

"All done." She smiled at him as her head began to swim. _Bad Buffy._ She thought steadying herself. Liam took hold of her arm and held her up.

"I think you might be a lightweight."

"No I'm not. Alcohol just doesn't sit well with me." She said grabbing his arm.

"Well you did drink three glasses of champagne relatively quickly." He put an arm around her waist and moved her towards a bench. He sat down next to her and held onto her waist.

"Okay, that was my fault but really I can hold my alcohol better than this."

"I'm sure you can." He laughed as she leaned against his shoulder. He smelt so good just like she remembered. An announcement sounded letting the patrons know that the gallery would be closing. Buffy didn't want to leave. How could she get him to keep her around for a little longer? _Play drunk, Buffy play drunk._ Her head flopped against his shoulder and she rolled her head back.

"You smell nice." She said to him. Liam laughed.

"Well thank you. Where are you staying?"

"Don't know. Anywhere. Some hotel off the highway, M4 I think. I don't know. I just drove in from Dublin and stopped in at the first hotel I could find." Liam saw his father staring at him and he nodded to him. He looked at the blonde by his side and took her face in his hands.

"Stay here okay? I just have to make sure that the gallery gets closed and I'll make sure you get home safe."

"I'm sure you do that for all the girls." She said exaggerating her drunken state.

"Only the ones I like. Please, stay." He said as he stood up. Buffy had every intention of staying where she was. She held her posture slightly slumped as she watched him walk over to a patron close to the entrance. Four years of searching and here he was. She had to do everything in her power to make sure that she didn't lose him; never again would she lose him.

--

Liam walked away from Buffy and headed towards his father. His father shook his head upon his approach causing Liam to sigh. He stopped in front of his father and crossed his arms.

"What?"

"Whose the blonde?" His father asked.

"A young girl I just met. She's from the States and has absolutely no interest in art." Liam said.

"It doesn't look like she can hold her booze very well."

"Not really, but I think there is a good chance she is faking most of it."

"So I assume you are taking her home with you?" His father raised an eyebrow mimicking Liam's own expression.

"Now father, I have absolutely no intention of taking her home with me."

"Sure you don't." His father said. Liam put his arm around his father's shoulders and led him to the main entrance to say goodbye to all the guests. It took him over an hour to say goodbye to each one and thank them for coming to the opening. The exhibit would stay at the gallery for three weeks before having to be packed up and shipped to its next location. After everyone was gone, all that were left was his family and staff. He walked up to Tiffany, Samantha and Daniel. He could tell that Daniel was drunk beyond his own personal limits and Sam was holding him up.

"You guys go. I'll lock up tonight."

"Are you sure?" Tiffany asked. The tone in her voice said 'you're not taking me home with you?' making Liam smile.

"Yeah, I'm sure. You go home you've done enough for the night." Sam shrugged and dragged Daniel towards the exit. Tiffany said goodnight and slowly headed out. Liam looked towards the exhibit and saw that Buffy was still sitting in the same place he'd left her. He walked towards his family and smiled.

"Thanks for coming everyone. I believe the opening was a relative success." Catherine smiled and hugged her husband.

"Anything for my brother. But it is time we left. We need to pay the babysitter a ridiculous amount of money for this evening." She kissed her brother and whispered in his ear, "Be good." Liam laughed and watched her leave. Liam's mother kissed his cheek and smiled.

"I am so proud of you. You've done so much to turn your life around."

"Thanks mom." Liam said. His father shrugged and led his wife out of the gallery. Tomas and Nora congratulated Liam as well leaving with his parents. All that was left was his ex-wife and his daughter. Cassidy hugged her dad tightly and kissed him.

"I'm so proud of you daddy. This was really…cool."

"You hated it didn't you?" Liam said.

"Hate is such a strong word…but the next time you want me to come to this, can we please have some really good looking boys…"

"That's enough out of you." Liam said hugging tightly.

"Dad, I don't have to stay with mom tonight. I could come back to the condo and we could watch some movies…"

"Honey, I would love that, but I've got other plans." Liam couldn't help but look to make sure that Buffy was still there. She was but had gotten out of her seat and was looking around other parts of the gallery.

"Really dad, mom's right there."

"Cassidy, I don't know how many times we've talked about this…"

"Cassidy, we need to go. Let your dad be." The pain in Alanna's voice was obvious but for Liam it no longer hurt. She'd hurt him more than he'd ever thought possible; she was no longer allowed to have opinions on his personal life.

"But mom…" Alanna furrowed her brow and scowled. Cassidy gave up and hugged her dad again, "I'll see you later dad."

"Love you honey." Liam said back. Alanna and Cassidy moved towards the door and Liam locked it behind them. Quickly, he checked the back door and grabbed his coat and briefcase out of his office. There was a file on his desk he didn't remember getting out. Shrugging he turned the light off and headed back towards the main gallery. The night security officer was waiting for him at the desk.

"It went well?"

"Very well. You have a long night ahead of you."

"That's my job." He said to Liam.

"I'll set the alarm on my way out the front." The security guard nodded and sat down in front of the monitors at the front desk. Buffy was waiting for him outside the exhibit as the large metal gate closed behind her. She held her coat in her hands and shrugged.

"I managed to get up all by myself." She said.

"I see that. Shall we?" Liam asked. He reached out and took hold of her coat holding it open for her. She turned and dipped her arms into the sleeves. She turned back to him and smiled.

"Well, where to?" Liam through his coat on and wrapped his scarf around his neck. He held the door open for her and she walked out into the bitter cold. Liam set the alarm before leaving and closed the door locking it securely.

"Well, if I could remember where the hotel was I would tell you, but the name escapes me." She said to him.

"Well, we seem to have a problem then don't we? You have nowhere to go and I have nowhere to take you. So what should we do?" Liam said heading towards his car; Buffy began to follow.

"I suppose that's up to you." Buffy said to him. Liam stopped at his car and held the door open for her.

"Get in. I at least have a fireplace in my house where you can warm up." Buffy hesitated only a moment before she sauntered slowly into his car. Liam shut the door and bounced towards the other side. He opened the door and got in. Starting the car, Liam turned up the heat and let the car sit for a moment. When the car was warmed, he put it into gear and headed back towards his condo.

--

Unlocking the door to the condo, Liam held the door for Buffy. Buffy walked into the condo standing in the entry with her purse tight in her hands. Liam took hold of Buffy's coat and pulled it off her shoulders. Buffy allowed him to remove her coat shivering slightly as his hands grazed her shoulders. She put her purse down and followed Liam into the large kitchen. He turned on the lights and pulled out two shot glasses. He reached up above the fridge and took down the bottle of whisky he always swore he'd never drink. He opened the bottle and poured the two shots. He put the top back on and put the bottle away. Buffy went into the kitchen and leaned against the counter as he pushed the shot glass towards her.

"I thought you didn't drink anymore?" She said toying with the glass.

"I don't. Okay, only every now and then and its only on special occasions."

"What are we celebrating?" Buffy asked.

"Well, the opening and meeting you." He said picking it up. Buffy picked up her glass as well and touched hers to Liam's. She shot the whisky back and put the glass down. Shaking her head she screwed her eyes shut. Liam laughed at her.

"So I don't do hard alcohol well. Not to mention that I've already had three glasses of champagne." Liam walked around the side of the counter and walked into the living room. Liam loosened his tie and pulled it down slightly; he bent down and turned the large fireplace on in the wide spacious living room. The fireplace ignited and he turned the heat up slightly. Slowly, he sat down in front of the couch and rested his arm and hand on the couch behind him. He looked over his shoulder and encouraged Buffy to join him. Buffy's heart was racing. She walked towards him and stood in front of him; Liam looked up and held his hand out to her. Buffy took it without hesitation and sank down next to him. As she descended, she held her dress to make sure it didn't fall down. There was no other light on other than the fire blazing from the fireplace. The shadows danced off Angel's face as she gazed into his familiar eyes. There was something different about them; they seemed more human than they ever did before. Her heart continued to hammer in her chest as she raised a hand to touch his face. Liam didn't stop her; he allowed her hand to explore the planes of his face and contours of his skin. Her hand rested on his cheek as she held his gaze longer. Tears welled in her eyes as she let her hand fall and dropped her gaze. Liam smiled and cupped her chin lifted her face to meet his. Tears had fallen down her cheeks giving her face a sad yet angelic appearance.

"That is the second time you've cried in front of me. What is so upsetting?"

"Nothing, sorry. You just remind me of someone." Buffy pulled her face away and wiped away her tears. She looked back at him and his expression had changed with his eyebrows pushed together in frustration. She raised her hands and placed them on either side of his face. Using her thumbs, she smoothed his forehead causing Liam to laugh.

"Who do I remind you of?" Liam asked. Buffy's hands fell into her lap as she thought of what to say to him.

"For the last four years I've been searching for someone; someone really important to me. You kind of look like him."

"I do? Was this person a family member, a lover?"

"He was…he was someone I was involved with at one point in time in my life; his son came to me asking me to help find him. So I've been looking." Buffy looked towards the fire and sighed.

"Have you found him yet?" Liam asked looking at her and nothing else.

"No. The longer it takes to find him, the more I'm convinced that he's…"

"Dead?" Liam asked. She looked back at him and smiled.

"I don't know. But until I get concrete evidence to suggest that he's gone, I won't tell his son. It wouldn't be fair."

"You must have really loved him to spend four years of your life looking for him." Liam said as he pulled his tie over his head and unbuttoned the top of his shirt.

"I did…do…did. It's all so very complicated." She said to him.

"So it would be safe to say that currently you have no boyfriend?" Liam asked his eyes shining with possibility. Buffy laughed and hugged her shoulders.

"No, the last lover I had was a woman." Buffy's face flushed as she finished her sentence. _That was a bit too much information there Buffy._ She thought to herself.

"I see. And it didn't work out?" He asked. Buffy smiled wide embarrassed only because she'd told him so openly.

"No, I…I needed her. She needed me. The only difference was that she was in love with me and I wasn't in love with her. She's an amazing woman and I have absolutely no regrets about it."

"Fair enough." Buffy wanted nothing more than to shift the conversation away from her. She wanted to dive into memories about her and Angel to try and break something loose in his head. She needed to call Willow. Buffy turned back to him and smiled.

"Do you mind if I make a quick call? I'm not trying to find an out if that is what you're going to say. There is someone I need to call."

"Hmmm, I'll believe you this once. I expect you to come back." Liam said.

"Oh, believe me, I will." Buffy rose and went to grab her purse. She took her back and went down the hall behind the kitchen. The room on the left had a 'C' on it; _must be his daughters_; she walked right past it and entered the room on the right. Liam wasn't watching her as she walked into his room and shut the door. She turned on the light that was sitting on the nightstand. Slowly she sank down onto his bed and held her breath. The room smelt of him; every thing in this room represented Angel's new life. She dug her phone out of her bag and called the hotel first. It was answered on the second ring. Connor's voice sounded on the other end.

"Buffy!"

"Not so loud. Yes, it's Buffy."

"Megan said you found him but she made me leave. Why did you do that?"

"Connor, his memories are gone. You being there wouldn't have made any difference." She said standing and walking to his dresser. She wanted out of this dress. Digging through the drawers she found a pair of sweat pants and one of his large oversized t-shirts. She through them on the bed and began to unzip her dress.

"That doesn't matter. Why couldn't I have just seen him?" Connor was upset. He'd spent the last four years looking too. He wanted nothing more than to see his father again just like Buffy did.

"Would that have helped you? Would you have felt better? Believe me, it's harder to see him than it is not to see him."

"How is he?" Connor asked. Buffy let the dress fall and unclasped the bra that was cutting off the circulation around her chest. Breathing a sigh of relief Buffy put the phone down for a second and pulled the oversized shirt over her head. It fell mid-thigh causing Buffy to laugh at herself.

"He seems good. He seems happy. They've implanted several memories about having a drinking problem and being in a coma for the last god knows how many years. From what I gather, its only the last three that he really 'remembers.'" Buffy held the phone close and waited.

"What do you want me to do?" Connor asked cutting to the chase.

"I want you to work with Megan and try to find out if there are any reps from Wolfram & Hart in this area. We need to know if they are keep tabs on him. Because if they are, this is going to take a lot more work than we need." Connor sighed on the other end.

"Okay. Anything else?"

"Yeah, I'm going to need Megan to do a couple of things for me." Buffy listed them off then told Connor she was going to phone Willow and let her know what was going on. She said goodbye and that she would see him soon. She hung up the phone then quickly dialed Willow. Buffy stood and walked into the bathroom attached to his bedroom. She turned on the light as the phone rang and rang. Willow answered and dropped the phone once she did.

"Shit! Sorry, hello?"

"It's me." Buffy smiled and looked at herself in the mirror.

"Buffy! Thank god! We got a call from Connor saying that you'd found him but…"

"Look, Willow, I did find him but his memories are toast. He doesn't remember who I am at all. I'm at his place right now." Buffy removed all the pins holding her hair in place. She placed them on the bathroom counter allowing the mass of curls to fall out of place down her back and over her shoulders.

"You're at his place?" Willow asked. She could tell that Willow had stood. Buffy ran her fingers through her hair and sighed.

"It's not what you're thinking. I couldn't just let him leave. I was afraid that…"

"You'd never find him again?" Willow asked. Willow understood and Buffy was grateful for that.

"Look, I want to try and get him to remember some things. Do you still remember that spell you taught me? The one about shared dreams?" Buffy asked quickly.

"Yes, but do you think that's wise?" Willow asked concern in her voice.

"Willow, I have to do something. If I do the dream walk and pull him into my memories its possible that it might trigger something."

"It's possible, but don't get your hopes up." Willow gave Buffy the list of household ingredients she would need to make the incense that would allow the dream walk to work. Buffy told Willow, several more times that she would be okay and that nothing would happen. They said goodbye and Willow promised to keep magical tabs on her from afar. Buffy looked at herself in the mirror one more time before leaving the bathroom and turning out the light. She looked at the sweats on the bed she had pulled out and decided to leave them where they were. She left her cell phone on his bedside table and opened the door leaving his room. She walked back into the kitchen and began riffling around in his cupboards. Liam looked up and saw that she'd changed into one of his shirts and her hair was loose and free falling down her back. She was standing on her tiptoes reaching up into the spice cabinet. He furrowed his brow and held himself in check as his shirt pulled up as she reached. He came up behind her and breathed down her neck, Buffy knew that he was there but turned abruptly and acted surprised.

"Oh! Hi." She said. He reached up and grabbed the cloves she'd been reaching for.

"Hi. I think you're wearing my shirt." He said.

"I didn't think you'd mind. The dress was getting a little uncomfortable." He handed her the cloves and raised and eyebrow.

"What are you doing? Making a cake?" Buffy smiled. She turned back to the cupboard and deliberately pushed her ass towards him. She reached again for the cinnamon exaggerating her lack of height. Liam again, pulled it down and handed it to her.

"No, I'm going to make home made incense."

"Why, you don't like my guy smell?" He asked. Buffy skirted around him and put her ingredients on the table. She looked around the kitchen with a puzzled look on her face and smiled at him coyly.

"Could you get me a small bowl?" She asked turning back to her ingredients. She heard him rustling around behind her as she continued to look for ingredients. Liam handed her the bowl and she started to mix everything together, "I have nothing against your smell. I think you smell really good. I just thought it might be nice to burn some incense."

"You know, I have a lot, there is no need to make some." He said to her watching as she added all her ingredients together in the large bowl. Once she was satisfied that it was mixed right, she turned back to him. Pressing her body against his, she smiled again.

"Do you have matches?" Liam swallowed heavily and opened a drawer directly in front of them. He pulled out the matches and handed them to her.

"Thank you." She said turning back to her bowl. The potion would take several minutes before it ignited and at least an hour before it burned right through. It wasn't until it was all burned through and had filled the condo with the smoke that the dream walk spell would work. She had to make sure that they were in bed and asleep by then. _Shouldn't be too difficult._ Buffy thought. She lit the match and dropped it into the bowl. When nothing happened, Liam frowned.

"Not very effective is it?" He asked.

"You have to wait. It will ignite in a few minutes and take about an hour to full burn off." She said. She turned back to him and smiled, "You don't by any chance have wine around do you?"

"I do."

"Isn't that bad with your drinking problem?"

"I'm a recovering alcoholic, not alcohol free. There are times when I fall off the bandwagon."

"On purpose or by accident?" Liam watched as she bent down, a little too seductively, to retrieve the bottle of wine hidden under the sink. She held it up to him and shook it back and forth, "I should scold you or you could just get us two glasses and be done with it."

"You could scold me, I wouldn't object." Liam walked around her and reached for two wine glasses.

"Now, Mr. O'Connor, I've just met you." She popped the cork and poured the wine. Buffy set the bottle on the counter and walked back to the living room. The powder she created finally ignited and began to fill the room with an amazing scent. Liam took a single sip of his glass and left it as he followed her back to the living room. He didn't need the wine to feel drunk. Buffy sat down on the couch and watched him sink down beside her. She drank from her glass and set it down on the coffee table. She inched closer to him and watched as his arm fell onto the back of the couch. His hand reached up and held her face. She sank her face into his hand and closed her eyes breathing in deep. _Be good, Buffy. Be good. You are not allowed to do this. You are not allowed to do this._ But she wanted to so badly. She could feel that Angel wanted to as well. Liam leaned towards her and pulled her face towards his. Gently he laid his lips on hers and held her there for a moment. Her breath caught in her throat as she raised herself up and held onto his face. He kissed her deeper and she returned his kiss with urgency. Liam wrapped his arms around her small waist and pulled her into his lap. _Buffy, stop right now! _Her mind screamed at her; her body reacted in the opposite. She wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled herself even closer to him. The kiss continued to pick up in intensity and Buffy's body sang as he held her in his arms. Buffy's mind continued to scream at her to stop but she ignored all the warning signs that this was a bad idea. Liam reluctantly broke the kiss and looked into her eyes. Their breathing was ragged and short.

"We've only just met. We don't have to do this." Liam offered. Buffy laughed and kissed him again.

"You are so sweet. But I'm a big girl and I think I can take care of myself." She said to him as she kissed down his neck to his chest. Liam tightened his grip on her laughed as her feather kisses reached his collarbone.

"I never doubted that. All I'm saying is we barely know each other…isn't it customary for us to get to know each other before we sleep with each other?" Liam asked never stopping her exploration. Buffy looked up and held his eyes. _I already know you. You just don't remember it._ Buffy smiled and kissed him hard. Their tongues danced with each other as she cut him off. Breaking away Buffy kissed his forehead.

"How about, we get to know each other after." Liam had absolutely no objections but his nerves got the better of him. He'd had sex since his wife, but this time was so different. For some reason, he wanted it to be perfect.

"I…"

"Don't," Buffy said digging into yet another memory with him, "Just kiss me." Liam responded to her plea and kissed her passionately. Buffy and Liam sank into the couch their shadows dancing on the living room walls. The fire blazed in the fireplace casting a warm glow throughout the room. As their shadows filled the room and their breathing turned heavy, the incense that Buffy had created started to burn away slowly filling the entire condo with a slight red smoke that started to spark and glow.


	7. Chapter 7

**A Fallen Angel – Chapter 7  
*NOTE: opening dream sequence is from Season 3, episode 'Amends'**

_Liam's head was swimming with blurred images and crisp images. He was walking up a large hill towards what he could only assume was a mountaintop. When he reached the apex of the hill, he stood there overlooking a large city. The night was chilled and the air smelled of a coming sunrise. He wasn't sure how he knew sunrise was coming he just knew. Pain and sadness had filled his heart as he stood there reflecting on what he was about to do. Liam felt trapped inside his own mind; he knew that he was there but there was something about himself that felt wrong, like he wasn't fully in control. Tears brimmed at his eyes but he forced them back as he silently waited with his hands in the pockets of his black duster. He could hear footsteps coming up behind him. They were still several minutes away but he heard them as if they were right behind him. They picked up in pace and soon the individual was running. He could smell her; he could always smell her. The scent of her was intoxicating, dangerous. He waited. Suddenly she was there calling his name._

_"Angel." That wasn't his name, or was it?_

_"I bet half the kids down there are already awake. Lying in their beds, sneaking downstairs... waiting for day" Angel didn't turn around as she approached him. He stood staring down at the world he was never going to be a part of. Her breathing was laboured and he could sense the tears in her eyes. She slowly stopped behind him and attempted to control her breathing and her racing heart._

_"Angel, please. I need you to get inside. There's only a few minutes left." She begged._

_"I know. I can smell the sunrise long before it comes." He kept his back to her and continued to listen to her heart hammering in her chest. She sniffed and he could feel the tears starting to roll down her check. She took a single step closer._

_"I don't have time to explain this; you'll just have to trust me. That thing that was haunting you..." Angel cut her off._

_"It wasn't haunting me. It was showing me." He said looking over his shoulder._

_"Showing you?" She sounded confused. But she continued to push him. Why did she always have to push him? Why couldn't she just let him be? He was a monster._

_"What I am." He said turning to face her._

_"Were." She countered. Angel continued._

_"And ever shall be. I wanted to know why I was back, now I do." He turned away from her. It was too difficult to look into her green eyes. They held such respect and pride for him but he didn't deserve any of it. With everything he had done to her in the last year, and even now, he didn't deserve her kindness or her love. Why couldn't she just let him go in peace?_

_"You don't know." Buffy said annoyed at his reluctance to believe in himself and her confusion as to why he felt it was necessary to give up, "Some great evil takes credit for bringing you back and you buy it? You just give up?" Angel shook his head. He couldn't do it; he could never become what he was before. It was too hard for him to stay away from her. Every day it became harder and harder. He continued to shake his head as he kept his eyes averted._

_"I can't do it again Buffy. I can't become a killer." He said at length._

_"Then fight it." She said with determination._

_"It's too hard." Angel replied shaking the evil voice that sounded in his head telling him it would be so easy to take her and kill her. It would be so easy to lose himself now and forever; make the pain he was feeling go away. Buffy wasn't about to give up._

_"Angel, please, you have to get inside." She pleaded. Angel continued wanting to pour his heart out to her whether she wanted to hear it or not._

_"It told me to kill you. You were in the dream, you know. It told me to lose my soul in you and become a monster again." He began to pace his anger towards himself growing._

_"I know what it told you. What does it matter?" She asked him. She was afraid to hear what he was about to say, but she knew that it was important to him to express how he felt at this moment. Maybe it would help him to move past what was going on inside his mind. She held back her tears as best she could but when he spoke, they fell._

_"Because I wanted to! Because I want you so badly. I want to take comfort in you and I know it will cost me my soul and a part of me doesn't care." Angel stopped and looked into her face. The tears were obvious and she saw her swallow hard. It was the truth; he wanted her more than he wanted to life more than he would ever want humanity again. He loved her so much and that is what made him weak, "I'm weak, I've never been anything else. It's not the demon in me that needs killing, Buffy, it's the man." Angel held back his tears as best he could but a single one fell down his face._

_"You're weak, everybody is. Everybody fails." Buffy tried to remain calm as she attempted to make Angel believe that he was important, that he was worth something, "Maybe this evil did bring you back. But if it did, it's because it needs you. And that means you can hurt it. Angel, you have the power to do real good, to make amends. But if you die now, then all that you ever were was a monster." She could tell that what she was saying was carrying little weight. She knew that when Angel had made up his mind on something there was little to convince him otherwise. But she wasn't about to let him die because some evil told him he was a monster, "Angel, please, the sun is coming up." She begged again moving closer to him._

_"Just go." Angel demanded. Buffy was closer to him now, so close he could feel her breath on his skin. Determination shone in Buffy's eyes as she glared at him._

_"I won't." She said grabbing hold of his arm. Angel took hold of her and pushed her; she held her ground._

_"What? You think this is simple? You think there's an easy answer? You can never understand what I've done. Now go." He demanded again; he was angry, angry that she wouldn't leave that she would let him die in peace._

_"You are not staying here, I won't let you..." Buffy moved towards him again grabbing his arm trying to pull him away from the edge of the bluff. Anger flared in Angel's eyes and he took hold of her hand in an iron grip. He held tight as she punched him in the face; Angel backhanded and sent her flying to the group. Angel stalked towards her and took hold of her arms dragging her up to look him in the face. She was crying and he could smell the potential fear that fell off her body. She held her ground as he shook her._

_"Am I a thing worth saving? Am I a righteous man?" Angel demanded shaking her more bringing her close to his face, "The world wants me gone." He stated simply. She looked into his eyes her features softening. The fear she might have had before was suddenly gone all that remained was pure and undying love._

_"What about me?" She asked tears flowing freely down her face, "I love you so much. And I tried to make you go away. I killed you and that didn't help." She pushed him off of her and he fell back sitting and hanging his head as she spoke to him, "And I hate it! I hate that it's so hard. And that you can hurt me so much. I know everything that you did because you did it to me." She stood and looked at him with a loathing he'd never seen in her eyes before. She loved him so much and it hurt her more to love him than it did to hate him, "God... I wished that I wished you dead. You know, I can't." Angel stood and leaned against a large bolder before he pushed himself off and composed himself. He didn't deserve her and there was nothing in the world that would change his mind._

_"Buffy, please. Just this once, let me be strong." This time it was Angel who was begging. All he wanted was everything to end for the pain and sadness to end. He wanted to be free, free from everything and in his mind the only way to free himself from this curse was to die._

_"Strong is fighting. It's hard and it's painful and it's every day." She walked up to him and took his hands in hers, she wasn't going to give up and he could tell that she wasn't going to let him give up either, " It's what we have to do and we can do it together. But if you're too much of a coward for that, then burn." She dropped his hands and backed away from him, "If I can't convince you that you belong in this world, I don't know what can. But don't expect me to watch, and don't expect me to mourn for you because..." Buffy's sentence was interrupted as snow began to fall around them. Angel, Liam, knew that they were in California something in him told him that. Something also told him that it never snowed in California. Someone, or something, was making it snow making it so that the sun would stay away for just a day. Together they looked around them, at the snow falling to the ground over them and they city. They both turned around each other then locked eyes; this was Angel's sign. The sign that he was meant to live…meant to love…_

Liam shot up on the couch breathing heavily. It was bright outside and the fireplace had been turned off. The half-empty wine glass sat on the coffee table. Liam was alone on the couch with a blanket covering him. He was sweating as he ran his hands through his hair. The dream had felt so real. But it had only been a dream right? There was no way that had actually happened, right? Rubbing his face, Liam leaned forward and looked around the condo. If the wine glass hadn't been sitting on the table he would have thought last night had never happened. He leaned down to pick up some cloths and noticed that they were gone. Liam frowned and wrapped the blanket around his waist and slowly stood. As far as he could tell he was alone. Walking slowly, Liam headed towards his bedroom. When he heard the sound of the shower, he stopped. He was still really unsure of what had happened last night. He kept thinking back to the crazy dream he'd had the night before. It wasn't the first dream like that he'd experienced. He remembered the opening; he remembered the gorgeous blonde that he'd brought home. Liam walked away from his bedroom and back into his kitchen. Coffee, that's what he needed; coffee. Pull the coffee maker out, Liam set it up and turned it on. Looking at the clock, he swore. Grabbing hold of the phone he dialed his daughter's cell phone. A groggy voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey honey it's me."

"Dad, what are you calling me so early for?" Cassidy asked. Liam could hear the covers rustle and Cassidy say 'ouch.'

"It's not early. It's almost noon. We were supposed to meet for lunch and I was phoning to say I just woke up and was going to be late but it seems to me that you are in the same boat as me."

"Uh huh." There was more rustling and the sound of a door shutting, "Dad, it's cool. We can meet up later."

"That would be great." Liam could here that the shower had been turned off. Smiling, Liam looked around for two clean mugs. On the counter was the small dish of the strange incense that his evening date had burned. Frowning Liam walked towards it not paying attention to what his daughter was saying.

"Dad? Dad, are you listening to me?" Cassidy demanded. Liam lifted the dish and took a smell. It smelt foul; wrinkling his nose, Liam brought the small dish over to the garbage and threw it away. The coffee dripped down into the pot as Liam was brought back to reality.

"Huh, yeah I'm listening. What did you say?"

"I said that we should all go out for dinner instead of lunch. Mom gets off early; it might be nice for us all to get together."

"Honey, I'm not sure if that is a good idea."

"Oh, come on dad. It's just dinner and besides, I'll be there you won't have to alone with her. Please." Cassidy's voice dropped and Liam knew that she was pouting. The coffee stopped and Liam pulled the reservoir out and poured two cups. Sighing heavily, knowing that dinner was not a good idea, Liam smiled.

"Fine. We'll go for dinner. What time?" He heard the door to his bedroom open and watched as the blonde, Buffy, emerged from his room her hair wet and wearing one of his silk shirts. Liam gave her a crooked smile.

"Six sound good?" Cassidy said.

"Six it is. I have to go honey; I'll see you at six. The usual place?" He asked.

"Yep. Bye dad."

"Bye." Liam hung up the phone and leaned against the counter handing Buffy the other cup of steaming brown liquid. Smiling seductively, she accepted and took a sip.

"Mmmm. Nothing better than a nice warm shower and a steaming cup of coffee." She commented.

"I can think of something better." Liam offered not taking his eyes off her. Buffy smirked and locked eyes with him as she took another sip of her coffee. Walking away, Buffy went into the living room and collapsed on the couch. She picked up the remote and turned on the local news. She wanted to appear as normal as possible. She was familiar with the normal routines of one night stands knowing that under the normal circumstances, one of the two left and was never heard from again. By staying, she was creating a relationship with this new Angel in the hopes that he might remember her. She didn't look back as she focused on the TV wondering if Angel, Liam, was thinking of asking her to leave. She thought she would wait and see what happened. She knew that the incense had worked because they dream she had focused on was one that was important and the most emotional. She listened carefully as Angel pushed away from the counter and walked towards her. Staying focused on the TV, she watched in her peripherals as Angel sat down and put his right arm across the back of the couch. The news was playing some story about a house fire that had, unfortunately, claimed the lives of two young children and then switched to Pet Time featuring a purebred Irish wolfhound. Buffy looked over and was surprised to find Angel looking at her.

"What?"

"Nothing." Liam said. Buffy smiled again and shifted on the couch to face him.

"Is this the part where you tell me you had an amazing night but you have things to do and need me to go?" Her smile widening.

"Not at all. I was just wondering how I was going to get you out of my shirt." Buffy bit the bottom of her lip and put her up on the table. She shuffled down the couch and climbed into his lap. Liam put his cup down on the side table and placed both his hands on her small hips.

"All you have to do is ask." Buffy offered.

"Is that all its going to take?" Buffy nodded slowly and leaned back. Slowly, she unbuttoned the shirt and let it fall off her shoulders. Liam's eyes flashed with lust as he took in the sight of her. Buffy smiled and leaned towards him; she slowly kissed him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Liam gathered up the silk shirt that had fallen around her hips. Breaking the kiss, Liam smiled at her.

"Well, that was easy." Gathering the shirt in a ball, Liam threw it out of Buffy's reach and ran a hand down her spine. Buffy shivered and relished in the feather like touch.

"I showed you mine; now you show me yours." Liam smiled again and flipped them kissing Buffy strongly and full of passion.

--

Hours after he'd dropped Buffy off at her hotel room, Liam was heading towards dinner with his ex-wife and his daughter. Unfortunately, all he could think about was Buffy. Ever since he'd met her, the night before, all he wanted was to be touching her and holding her. It was like there was nothing else in the world. There was something about her that made his blood feel like it was on fire. Liam parked his car and headed into the restaurant and quickly found Alanna and Cassidy waiting for him. He was only fifteen minutes late; how mad could they be?

"You're late." Cassidy said with a frown.

"I'm sorry. Traffic." Liam sat down opposite the two girls and smiled at Alanna.

"Sure." Cassidy took hold of her drink and sipped it looking off into nothing.

"I said I was sorry. I'm only fifteen minutes late."

"Liam." Alanna shook her head indicating that arguing would be a bad idea. The waiter came around and Liam ordered a water and steak dinner. The three of them sat in silence as they waited for their food. Alanna decided to break the silence.

"Your opening was amazing. That exhibit is the best thing to happen to this little town."

"Little town? There's a museum here."

"You know what I mean. It was really great."

"Thanks. It was a lot of work, but it went well. The next thing we are focusing on is the local talent in the area. I've been asked by the National University of Ireland to do a showcase of their students and a silent auction. It should be an interesting adventure." Liam said.

"That sounds amazing." Alanna commented. She sat silently and ate her salad as her daughter stared down at her father.

"So, dad, what did you do last night after the show?" She questioned. Liam looked back at his 16 year old daughter and smiled to himself. He knew what she was fishing for but he wasn't biting. It wasn't her place to question what he did in his extracurricular activities.

"Went home, shared a drink with a new friend, and went to bed." He replied, cursing himself for mentioning that he'd had a drink.

"A drink?" Alanna questioned.

"It was one glass of wine and I was at home. No big deal." He replied. He really didn't need to justify anything to her but for some reason, after years of dealing with it, he just had to.

"I wasn't going to say anything beyond that." She stated.

"Friend?" Cassidy questioned, ignoring her father's comment about drinking. Liam smiled and put his glass of water down.

"Yes, friend. Cassidy, I hate to break it to you but I'm a grown adult and can do what I want. And when you are a grown adult…you will still have to do what I say, because I'm your father." Liam replied. Cassidy began to respond when Liam's comment when Liam's world went dark. His vision blurred and his head was killing him. Liam reached up and pinched his nose, when he opened his eyes the world had changed. _Looking around he saw a large spacious library. One that looked like it was in a high school, not his daughter's but another one. Liam hadn't stepped foot into a high school since he'd graduated; he hadn't even been to a single parent-teacher conference for his daughter. Too much of an embarrassment, his wife had said. The area looked quiet as Liam ventured forward. On the table was a book with a single word displayed across the front, Vampyr. Liam shook his head and turned around at the sound of people entering the large room._

_"Will, you don't get it. Cordelia is questioning my position within the group. She thinks I don't do anything. You have to back me up here; I'm the guy who gets the food. She's right." The young man said._

_"Xander, you are worth so much more than the food. You are the glue that holds the group together."_

_"I thought that was Buffy." Buffy? Liam looked at the two and listened._

_"You are seriously undervaluing yourself here."_

_"I don't know. Maybe she's right, I need a thing. Oz has a thing, you have magic, Buffy's the Slayer, Giles is the one who knows everything; I need a thing. Even dead-boy has a thing." The young man named Xander pointed at him._

_"Angel, come on back me up. I need a thing."_

_"Angel?" Liam questioned. The girl named Willow approached him and put a hand on his shoulder. Concern was etched on her face._

_"Angel, are you alright?" She asked._ Liam shook his head and the room changed again. He was back in the restaurant with his daughter and wife. Alanna looked at him quietly, Cassidy was annoyed. Cassidy hit her father on the arm and he looked at her.

"Dad, seriously, what is up with you?" She asked.

"Cassidy, don't hit your father." Alanna said to her sternly. Liam shook his head and smiled.

"Yeah, I'm fine. My head just hurts that's all."

"Whatever." Cassidy replied as she sat back and crossed her arms. For the next two hours Liam had dinner with his old family, and what seemed to be an old and unnatural life. Ever since he'd met that Buffy his mind had been playing tricks on him. Maybe this has something to do with her? He thought. When he got home that evening, Liam toyed with the idea of calling the woman he barely knew. She must have the answers he needed; going against his new found lust for the woman, Liam called an old friend.

"Marcus, its Liam. I need a favour."

--

Buffy sat with Willow and Connor in her hotel room. Her mind was swimming after the last 24 hours. She had never thought in a million years that she would find, nor be with, Angel again. It had been the most incredible 24 hours of her life. Willow was looking at her like she was a stranger. Buffy hadn't told them she's slept with him, several times, but she figured it wasn't information they needed to know. She'd done the spell exactly like Willow had instructed but it had appeared nothing had actually happened to him.

"You're sure you mixed it right?" Willow asked for the millionth time.

"Yes," Buffy replied, "I did everything like you said. It was even gross and sludgy in the morning. Willow, I don't know what to tell you."

"So, is it supposed to work right away? I mean maybe the damage is worse than we thought." Connor replied.

"It's possible. I won't know until I get the opportunity to get into his head." Willow said. Willow was pacing the room trying to figure out how they were going to get that close.

"So, Buffy calls him and we set up dinner or movies or something so Willow can probe his memory." Connor offered. Willow cocked her head in response.

"That would be helpful." Willow said.

"Okay, so what? I call him; wait for him to call me? It's not like I actually have his number."

"You didn't get it from him?" Willow asked.

"No, but he has my cell." Buffy replied.

"Well, I suppose that is something. Maybe you should just go to his work? Surprise him." Connor offered. Buffy didn't say anything as she thought of Angel again. He looked at her like he'd done before, only she knew that he had no idea how deep those memories actually were. They needed Angel back, the needed to find a way to get his memories to return.

"What if we went to the source?" Buffy asked. Willow stopped walking. She stared at her friend and crossed her arms.

"Are you insane? You want to go to Wolfram & Hart and demand to know what they did to Angel."

"Does it seem so insane?" Buffy asked.

"Yes." Connor and Willow said together. Buffy stood and glared at them both.

"We have all been so afraid of them; I don't understand why they hold so much power over us. Come on! We've stopped how many 'end of the world' scenarios. What makes this so different?" She demanded.

"Look, I know you want to fix this, we all do. But you are talking about the Senior Partners here. They did this to him which means we have bigger problems than a simple law firm." Willow said calmly. Buffy furrowed her brow and looked at her friend closely.

"Why do I get the feeling you're not telling me something?" Buffy asked. She crossed her arms and glared at her friend. Willow may be strong, but she wasn't strong enough to resist Buffy's angry face. Buffy could tell Willow was cracking; she was shifting from foot to foot, her eyes darted around the room resisting the urge to make contact with Buffy.

"Buffy, I think this goes beyond the Senior Partners."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Do you really want me to open this can of worms?" Willow asked. Whatever Willow knew was big; bigger than what Buffy would probably be comfortable with knowing. Connor remained silent as he watched the two friends dance around the real reason his dad was gone. Slowly, Buffy nodded. Willow sighed heavily and dropped her arms. She moved to the opposite side of the small motel room and sat down.

"We've known all along with the "Senior Partners" really are." Buffy arched her eyebrow and waited, "The "Senior Partners" is simply a name for something that is a lot older and more ancient. The running theory that the Coven and I have put together is that the Senior Partners are really a guise for the First Evil." Buffy's face fell.

"That would be the same evil that you destroyed back in 2003?" Connor asked.

"You can't destroy the First," Willow said, "As long as there is evil in the world the First will remain. It thrives off any little piece of evil that any human or non-human puts off. Obviously, it gets most of its power through demons and vampires and the like, but until human beings can live without evil, the First will remain always."

"But you guys kicked its ass right? I mean, you pretty much demoralized the thing." Connor offered.

"We only slowed it down. What we destroyed was one Hellmouth and an ancient race of vampires. We didn't kick the Firsts ass; it doesn't really have an ass to kick." Buffy said slowly.

"One Hellmouth?" Connor asked.

"Yeah, there are a few. One was in Sunnydale, one is in Cleveland, there's even one here in Ireland." Willow said.

"How come we didn't know about them?" Connor asked.

"We did, we've just chosen to ignore them." Willow replied.

"Is that wise?"

"Probably not, but we're stretched pretty thin as it is."

"So what, Wolfram and Hart is just a front for pissing off the real world?" Buffy was becoming frustrated with the idea that the First had been playing them all from the beginning.

"It's their way of keeping evil in the world. I don't believe that the Senior Partners have always been the First, but it definitely is now. Two super evils can't exist in the same world. Eventually, one has to take over the other and the First Evil is the oldest and the strongest."

"Okay, fine. So, Wolfram and Hart, the First, whatever, has decided to take my dad out of the picture. Why?" Connor asked.

"Because they are stronger together; apart, they're nothing."

"They?"

"Buffy and Angel." Buffy ran her hands through her hair and covered her mouth, "There has never been a pair like them. They are two warriors who have the ability to bring the Firsts world crashing down around it. So, what's the best way to stop that from happening?"

"Separate them."

"Bingo. The First isn't stupid. Sure it capitalized on Buffy's life/death situation, but we have to remember its first appearance had nothing to do with Buffy. It came to Angel, taking advantage of his weakened condition to get him to kill himself."

"So what do we do?" Buffy asked.

"We do what we've been trying to do, crack Angel's memory. The sooner he remembers who he is, the sooner we can go after the First and kick its un-kickable ass." Willow replied.

"But your spell didn't work," Buffy said.

"Buffy, it's not an instant thing. It takes time."

"Which we don't have."

"Well we're just going to have to find a way to escalate the process aren't we." Willow said with a sly smile. Willow walked towards her bag and unzipped it. Pulling out a black case Willow walked back to her friend and handed it to her.

"What's this?" Buffy asked as she unzipped the small package. Inside were a needle and a single vile of clear liquid. Buffy picked up the tiny bottle and looked at it closely.

"Inject Angel with that serum and sit back and enjoy the ride."

"What do you mean?"

"Memory overload. That serum will unlock every single forgotten memory that man has ever had."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Connor asked.

"What other choice do we have?" Willow asked.

"We have no idea if he goes on overload what will happen. He's still a vampire." Connor said.

"He has a pulse." Buffy said quietly. Willow looked at her friend and gave her a questioning look. Embarrassed, Buffy lowered her head and spoke softly, "Angel, he has a pulse; a heartbeat. What do you suppose that's about?"

"When you were there did you happen to notice if he took any kind of medication?" Willow asked. Buffy shook her head.

"No. I didn't notice."

"Well, I suppose our next step is to find out what's in his medicine cabinet. If he is taking something to mimic the signs of Mister Joe Human then we may have a better understanding of what may happen when we injected him with that."

"Okay, so we have a plan then?" Buffy asked.

"In two days, his gallery is hosting an exhibition on local artists and students from the university. You get the invite and Connor and I will go through his house to see if we can find anything that might give us an idea of how the First, or Wolfram and Hart, managed to pull this off." Willow said.

"I'm in." Connor offered. Buffy simply nodded.


	8. Chapter 8

**A Fallen Angel - Chapter 8**

After spending multiple hours and manpower beyond what he was capable of, Liam had finally finished getting the gallery ready for his next big show. As he watched the students mingle with each other and hang their work, Liam smiled. It had taken him years to make this gallery a reality and now it was getting more attention than he'd ever thought possible. As he bent to pick up another piece the phone in his pocket vibrated. He straightened and pulled it out. Smiling, he answered.

"I was wondering when I was going to hear from you." He said.

"Well, I wasn't sure how this was supposed to work. I mean, it was a one night stand wasn't it?" Buffy asked.

"It can be whatever you want it to be." Liam offered. Buffy laughed. Liam left the group and headed to his back office. He closed the door and sat down in the large chair behind his desk, "So what can I do for you?"

"What can't you is more like it." Buffy teased. _Oh please god let her be real and not a dream._ Liam thought as he pictured her in his mind.

"You don't want to know what I can do."

"Oh, that sounds like a challenge mister." Liam laughed. They could dance like this for hours he was sure but she had called for a reason.

"Not that I don't love playing games, but really, you called me."

"I did," He heard her sigh on the other end of the phone as if she was trying to think of what to say, "I was wondering what you were doing tomorrow night." She finally said. Liam sucked in a breath and exhaled.

"I've got plans." Liam knew where this conversation was headed.

"Damn. I was hoping you'd enjoy some tantalizing company." She commented clearly pouting on the other end of the phone.

"They are plans…" He started and paused, he heard her breath catch as she waited, "That you are more than welcome to crash." He heard her smile on the other end.

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to crash."

"Not at all, you can be my guest." Liam offered.

"Guest to what?" She asked.

"My gallery is holding that local talent showcase and I do need a date."

"What no hot young girl waiting in the wings?" Buffy asked.

"Hey you were the one asking me out, not the other way around." Liam countered.

"Touché." Liam leaned back in his hair and ran his free hand through his hair. A picture of his daughter and wife was on his desk. Liam frowned. _I really need to get a different picture of Cassidy_. He thought. Leaning forward, his flipped the picture face down and returned his attention to the woman on the other end of the phone.

"So, pick you up at 7?" He asked.

"How do you know I want to join you?" She asked him.

"Again, you called me."

"I'll be ready." She said. Liam smiled and allowed his mind to wander; the image of the red dress she wore the night they met made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. After a few more playful suggestions, Liam hung up the phone and stared at his office door. His vision began to blur and he rubbed his face. He must be really tired because when he opened his eyes there was another person in his office. She was standing just on the inside of the door with one hip cocked and her head tilted to the side. Her blonde hair hit to just above her shoulders and her angular jaw line begged to be kissed. She arched a single eyebrow and smiled seductively. Despite the fact that she was gorgeous, it wasn't Buffy. Slowly she walked towards him; as she moved her image changed – a woman from the Victorian era, a kimono, a peasant maids dress and then a green summer dress that left nothing to the imagination. She stopped in front of his desk and placed a single hand on the top. Slowly, she moved around the desk dragging her hand along the finish. She continued to smile as she approached him. She stopped in front of him and pulled his chair back. Liam didn't know what to do, but his body wasn't about to let him leave. There was something about this woman that was familiar; he couldn't put his finger on it, but it was if he knew her. The woman picked up the hem of her dress and hiked it up. Without hesitation, she straddled Liam as he sat in his chair. She wrapped her arms around his neck and dug her fingers into his hair. Violently, she pulled his head back causing Liam to gasp. He tried to move but she had him isolated in his seat. She kissed him without hesitation; forcing him to comply with her every move. He heard her laugh as she worked her way down his deck. Liam felt a twinge of pain and yelled out. She laughed again pulling back to reveal a demonic face that frightened him to the core. Her yellow eyes blazed with evil and her smile made his skin crawl. As if she were a ghost, she disappeared with a knock at the door.

"Liam? Are you in there?" Liam's eyes snapped open as he nearly fell out of his chair.

"Yeah! I'm here." The door opened and his secretary walked in.

"We're all done. You ready to get out of here for the night?" She asked. It was an open invitation for him to join her at her place. Liam shook his head and tried to get the image of the blonde woman out of his head, but all he could see was her demonic looking face. He must be tired.

"Yeah, I guess I'm more tired than I thought. I should be getting home." She pouted at him and shrugged.

"Okay, but if you're up for it…"

"No. Thank you, but no. I think I'm just going to crash at home." She smiled at him then closed the door behind her; unfortunately, she was on the wrong side of the door. Liam watched as she locked the door and stood with her back pressed up against it. She moved towards him and smiled.

"This is over isn't it?" She asked. Liam swallowed and watched her.

"It was never something." He said.

"Never something," She echoed as she moved towards his desk, "I don't know, felt like something to me." Tiffany stood opposite him as he stared at her. _Figures sleep with someone a few times and they think you're going to get married._

"Tiffany, I apologize if I led you on and made you think this was more than what it was, but there is nothing between us but sex, which hasn't happened for quite some time now." Liam knew it was harsh but in order to make it sink into her head, he was going to have to be harsh. In one quick movement, Tiffany flipped the table sending it crashing against the side of the small office. The desk shattered into pieces as Tiffany grabbed hold of Liam and hauled him out of his chair. Her hand closed around his throat cutting off all air supply, Liam's hand shot up as he tried to move her hand. What seemed like seconds, Liam watched as Tiffany's face twisted and shifted into the same thing he'd seen before with the blonde woman in his office. Her grip tightened and Liam coughed.

"Just sex? Come now, Angelus, we had something much more meaningful than that." Liam tried to say something but he couldn't get anything out, "What no heartless comeback?" With a flick on her wrist, Tiffany tossed Liam towards the rubble that was his desk. Liam coughed and gasped for air. Tiffany watched as Liam sat up and dragged in huge gulps of breath.

"This is amusing. I thought it was all an act, but you really don't know who you are, do you?"

"What are you talking about?" Liam rasped. Tiffany laughed showing her glinting white fangs. _Fangs? _ Liam thought. _It's not possible_. Liam's hand moved and without hesitation he grasped the large piece of splintered wood that lay next to him. Tiffany laughed again.

"Do you even know what you're doing? God, you're pathetic. You used to be the most powerful creature in the world and now you are nothing but a pathetic shell of a human. You disgust me. I can't believe I even wanted to be with you, again." Liam knew this girl was crazy, but this took the cake. His hand tightened on the wood as she advanced on him. He brought the weapon up and held it before him.

"What are you going to do? Kill me?" She sneered. She lunged forward and Liam closed his eyes. What happened next Liam couldn't explain, but the woman that stood before him burst into what he could only assume was ash. Liam coughed as he breathed in the dust. Slowly, Liam stood. He dusted himself off and winced in pain as he tried to stretch. He had no idea what just happened but before he knew it, Daniel was at the door. Daniel surveyed the room and his mouth fell.

"Didn't like the desk, then?" He asked. Liam didn't know what to say. Slowly he nodded.

"Yeah, it just didn't fit anymore." He said hoarsely.

"Well, you could have just bought a new one instead of destroying the one you had," Daniel laughed and then looked at his boss seriously, "Have you seen Tiffany?"

"What? Oh, I um, I had to let her go. She was getting a little too…"

"Obsessed?" Daniel offered.

"Uh, yeah. You could say that."

"Damn, you couldn't just leave her as a left over to me?" Daniel asked.

"You wouldn't have liked her." Liam said with a smile.

"That bad huh?" Daniel questioned.

"No, I mean, yeah. Something like that."

"Damn. Anyway, it's time to close up shop. See you tomorrow." Liam nodded and watched his friend leave. Liam surveyed the room again and dropped the piece of wood in his hand. What had she called him? Angelus? Wasn't that a city in the United States? All he wanted to do was go home to a hot shower and erase what he'd just seen. Grabbing his coat, Liam left his office and locked the gallery. He walked quickly towards his car but decided there was only one way to erase the night's events.

--

There was a loading banging on the door the next morning. Liam raised his head and blinked. The pounding at the side of his head was something he hadn't felt in a long time. The banging continued. Liam lay sprawled on his bed wearing the same cloths from the night before. _Shit_. Liam held his head for a second then slowly pushed himself off his bed. All he wanted to do was throw up, but the banging at the front door wouldn't stop. Liam staggered into his bathroom and turned the water on. He pulled his shirt over his head and splashed his face with water. His eyes were red as he looked at himself in the mirror. _Man I sure jumped off the bandwagon this time_. He thought as he looked at himself. Liam ran his hands through his hair and listened as the banging continued. He growled low in his throat and headed towards the door. A couple bottles of beer sat on the kitchen table; before answering the door he dumped them in the garbage. Satisfied with the way the room looked he walked towards the door.

"I'm coming!" He yelled. Liam unchained the door and turned the lock. He opened the door to find his daughter on the other side.

"What took you so long?" She asked pushing past her dad. Liam held the door open then shut it slowly.

"Where is your key?" He asked her.

"I forgot it at moms." She looked like she'd been out all night. Dropping her purse she moved towards the coffee pot. She picked up the empty container and frowned.

"Dad, it's like noon, why have you not put coffee on yet?"

"I…late night. Just got up, I guess." Liam said. She put the pot back and began to put on a pot, "I'm going to have a shower." Liam left his daughter and went to the washroom. Twenty minutes later, he came back into the kitchen, head pounding, to find his daughter sitting in the living room watching TV. Liam poured himself a cup of coffee and moved towards his daughter on the coach. He sat down next to her and pounded back four extra strength Advil. Cassidy turned her attention to her father and frowned.

"The last time I saw you pounding back that many pain killers was the last time you got so drunk you fell down the stairs." She said. Liam frowned and sucked back some coffee.

"Cute." He said to her.

"What, it's true."

"Do you think you could cut your father a break? My head feels like it's about to explode off my shoulders." He said.

"Dad, you promised."

"It's a work in progress, all right." He said to her, "Besides, you shouldn't be giving me the third degree; I should be giving you the third degree. Where were you all night to have forgotten your key at your mother's?" He asked her.

"I was out with friends." She said simply.

"Oh, really? So which friends?" He asked.

"None of your business." She said.

"I'm your father; everything you do is my business."

"Dad, I'm not a little girl anymore. You don't have to worry about me, you can trust me." She said turning her attention back to the TV.

"I trust you; I just don't trust your senior boyfriend." Cassidy was silent, "What did I say?"

"I don't want to talk about him." She said. Liam didn't say anything as they sat in silence. He finished his coffee as his cell phone rang next to Cassidy. He tried to reach for it first, but she was faster. Not recognizing the number, Cassidy answered the phone brightly.

"Hello?" She listened for a second and then looked at her dad, "Yep, he's here. But he's busy. Can I take a message?" Liam scowled at her and reached for the phone, "Buffy? Oh yeah, you're the girl from the other week right? The one from the gallery opening?" Liam reached again and managed to get hold of her elbow, "I can get him to call…." Liam got hold of the phone and cut her off. He held his hand over the mouth piece and glared at her.

"Don't do that again." Cassidy stuck out her tongue as Liam stood and walked away from her.

"Hello?" He said.

"Hi. You're daughter sure is charming." Buffy said. Liam's head still hurt as he listened to the woman on the other end.

"Yeah, sorry about that. She just showed up this morning, afternoon, and has serious issues when it comes to me and other women."

"Women?" Buffy asked. Liam let it slide and smiled. He poured another cup of coffee and leaned against the counter.

"What do I owe the pleasure of your voice on the other end of my phone?" He asked.

"Just making sure you're still on for tonight?" The showcase. Liam slapped his forehead and then regretted it within in instant. He'd had such a rough night last night that he'd completely forgotten.

"Of course. Yeah, I'll be there to get you at 8?"

"7."

"Right, 7, I'll be at your hotel at 7."

"Actually, I have a better idea." As she said it a knock came at the door. Cassidy jumped from the coach and tore towards the door. Liam snapped his phone shut and moved to cut his daughter off. Too late. Cassidy opened the door to see Buffy holding coffee and donuts.

"Thanks." Cassidy said as she took the bag from Buffy. Liam raised his hands in defeat and dropped them to his sides. Cassidy smiled slyly and walked away from the petite blonde. Buffy shrugged and smiled.

"Sorry, I was already on my way, figured I'd still stop by anyway."

"It's not a problem." Buffy walked into the room and closed the door behind her. Cassidy was already on the couch digging through the bag that Buffy had brought. She pulled out the jelly filled donut and took a bite. Buffy frowned. Jelly were her favourite. She handed Liam the two cups of coffee and he put them on the counter. Lowering her voice, Buffy said, "I'd kiss you but I think that your daughter might hurt me." Liam's pulse jumped.

"I might not object."

"It wouldn't be appropriate." Buffy said. For the first time in his life, Liam wished that his daughter was gone. Buffy sipped her coffee and eyed him over the rim.

"So, Buffy," Cassidy said with her mouth full of donut, "What brings you here?"

"Well, I was in the neighbourhood and thought I'd bring your dad some coffee."

"Really?" She questioned. Liam interrupted.

"Cassidy, not that I don't love seeing you, but I think you're mother will be worried and I have to get ready for this evening." He said. Cassidy eyed up her father and glared at Buffy.

"Fine. Whatever. I'll see you tonight dad." She said dropping the donut on the counter, "FYI, these are kind of stale." With a sneer, Cassidy left the apartment slamming the door behind her. Buffy looked at Liam and Liam rolled his eyes. Shrugging his shoulders, Liam smiled and took Buffy by the hand. Slowly, he dragged her towards his bedroom smiling like the devil. Buffy held up a finger then moved towards the front door. She locked the door and then followed him giggling as he tickled the back of her arms.

--

Several hours later, Willow was magically unlocking the apartment door. Buffy and Angel had left twenty minutes earlier and Willow was on a mission. With the door unlocked, Willow and Connor stepped over the threshold. Without touching any switches, Willow turned on the small light in the living room and bedroom. Connor walked away from Willow and headed towards the bathroom. Willow slowly controlled the door as it closed behind her with a click. She followed Connor and stopped in the doorframe. Connor was rifling through the drawers in the bathroom. Leaving him, Willow began to go through the dresser and night tables. Connor came out of the bathroom and dropped two prescription bottles on the bed.

"What do you think?" He said.

"Won't know until we get them tested." Willow replied.

"Okay. What else do you want me to look for?" He asked her.

"Anything mystical or magical, we want to find out any way that the First, Wolfram & Hart, could be making Angel appear human." Connor nodded and continued on his search of his father's apartment. Leaving Willow in the bedroom, Connor proceeded to look through the living room. There were several photos on the bookshelves. Pictures of a life Connor knew nothing about. It was his dad, smiling in photos with a young girl about 16 years old and a family that Connor didn't even know existed. Anger flared within him as he stared at the smiling face of his father. Willow entered the room and was silent.

"We're going to fix this." She said simply.

"I know. It's just..." Connor picked up the photo and stared into the face of what must be his grandfather, "He never even told me about them. Ever. He was never really one to share."

"He didn't share with anyone." Willow offered.

"I'm his son. You'd think he'd tell me about his family." Connor put the picture back as Willow approached him. Willow put a hand on his shoulder and turned him to face her.

"I promise that I will get your dad back. I don't know how they are doing it, but I'll figure it out and we'll make sure we take the bastards out." Connor nodded and focused on his search. It only took them half an hour to sift through Angel's apartment; then it took Willow a second to make sure that everything was the way they had left it.

--

Liam was incredibly bored as he stood in the middle of his gallery for the second big event in the last two weeks. It was horrible that he was bored, but there really wasn't much for him to do other than shake hands and smiled. He hadn't bothered to pick up Buffy because she'd simply stayed at his place all afternoon. He smiled as he thought about what an amazing afternoon it had been. He watched the room looking for her. He found her at the other end of the room laughing at one of Daniel's ridiculous jokes he was sure. He took a sip of his water and smiled. At least he could look at her from afar. _This was going to be a long night_.

--

Willow sat in silence as she waited for her friend to finish looking at the drugs they had pulled from Angel's apartment. The young medical student simply frowned.

"I don't know what to tell you, Willow." Mike said, "They are your average run of the mill prescription allergy medication. Nothing mystical about them."

"Are you sure? Could you just look again?" She asked. Mike shrugged and agreed to check one more time. It couldn't be nothing. There had to be something. Mike sat back and put his hands behind his head.

"Willow, I don't know what to say. One of them is an allergy medication to cats and the other is a sleep aid."

"A sleep aid? What kind?"

"Zolpidem."

"Are you sure there is nothing else? Nothing laced in it?"

"Yep, I'm sure."

"Damn, so they must be doing it another way." Mike smiled at her.

"Look, are you sure you didn't miss something? I mean, guys can hide medication anywhere, you're sure you searched the entire apartment from top to bottom?"

"Yeah, we did. Connor, did you find anything else?" Connor shook his head.

"Sorry."

"Maybe he carries it on him?" Mike offered. Willow whipped out her phone and quickly dialled Buffy's number. She answered on the fourth ring.

"Hello?" Buffy answered as she laughed at whoever she was speaking with.

"It's me." Willow said

"Yeah?" Buffy answered keeping it light.

"Look, nothing was in his place except vitamins and legitimate prescription drugs."

"You're sure?" Buffy asked. Willow could tell she was trying to keep things natural to whoever she was with so she kept the conversation short.

"Yep. Look, we need to know if he carries anything on him and if he does, we need you to get it to us. Connor's on his way."

"Sure. No problem." Buffy hung up. Connor nodded at Willow and headed towards the exit. He was pulling on his suit jacket as the door shut behind him.

--

Buffy moved through the crowds. Her jacket, along with Angel's, was at the far end of the room. Angel's place had been a bust, but maybe this would prove useful. When Buffy made it to the coats, she made it look like she needed something from her own but sifted through Angel's coat pockets. It took her seconds to find a small bottle of pills in his left coat pocket. She looked at the prescription name _Diabeta Oral_. She was about to slip them into her purse when a hand came out of nowhere and took hold of her wrist.

"Curiosity killed the cat you know." Liam smiled at her as he slipped the bottle out of her hand. Buffy smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

"Sorry, I was looking for Advil. I have a headache." She replied sweetly.

"Well, this won't do you any good." He slipped it into his pant pocket and reached into his jacket and pulled out the extra strength Advil he'd brought along to kill his headache, hangover. Buffy accepted the bottle and smiled again.

"Thank you. So, what was that for?" She asked about the bottle he'd so expertly taken from her.

"I have Type 2 diabetes. It's for my blood sugar."

"Oh. Do you have to take it every day?" She asked.

"Yep." Buffy arched her eyebrow and took two Advil, even though she didn't need it. Buffy eyed the entrance to the gallery and saw Connor walk in. She had to get that bottle from him. Buffy slipped closer and planted a feather kiss on his neck. At this point, she didn't care who was looking, she just wanted answers and the only way to do that, was to distract him. Slowly, she ran a hand down his back and motioned with her finger to have Connor come closer. Connor laughed slightly but pushed his way through the large crowd. Liam laughed.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it feel like?" Buffy countered.

"It feels like you are trying to get me into some serious trouble from my family." He said. Buffy laughed and ran a hand down his side towards his pocket where he'd stashed the _Diabeta Oral_. She could feel him shift beside her as she made him even more uncomfortable.

"You're a grown, divorced man. You're allowed to be with other women." She said to him as she continued to distract him.

"That is true, but right now is probably not the most appropriate time for...this." Buffy slid her hand into his pocket and popped the top off the bottle. She kissed him on the lips and held his attention while she dipped her finger into the bottle and took out one of the tiny pills. She broke the kiss and pulled her hand out of his pocket bringing it behind his back. Liam noticed his father staring at them. Clearing his throat Liam looked down at Buffy.

"Not that I don't want this to continue, but I think my father is about two steps away from having a heart attack." Buffy turned her head to see Liam's father glaring at them.

"Sorry. You're right. Not the best first impression is it?" She said.

"Ah, no. I should probably play damage control."

"Why do you do that?" Buffy asked.

"Do what?"

"Justify everything you do?" Liam frowned. She wasn't wrong; but she wasn't right either.

"I don't," He said as he kissed the top of her head, "I just have to play nice." He moved away from her and headed towards his father. Buffy waited where she was until Connor stood behind her with his back to her. He put his hand behind his back and held it open for Buffy to drop it in his hand.

"Nice work." Connor commented with a laugh.

"Shut up." Buffy countered as she walked away from him. Connor left the gallery with the little pill in his hand and Buffy moved throughout the room never letting her eyes leave Angel for a second.

--

"Aha!" Mike cried out, "We've got something!"

"What?" Willow and Connor said in unison.

"There is a little something extra in this medication."

"What?" They asked again.

"It's a mystical compound. One used to mask play tricks on modern technology and people. You'd be surprised at how many vampires and demons work for the government." Mike said. Willow arched an eyebrow.

"We would?" Mike laughed at Willow's jib.

"Okay, I realize I'm a huge conspiracy theorist when it comes to the government, but I'm telling you," Mike moved the chair to the other side of the lab where he placed the small slide under yet another telescopic lens, "The government is out to get us."

"Okay, fine, we have a mystical compound that is making it appear that Angel is human. Question is, how? I mean, how have we not heard about this before?"

"That's easy, the best medications are always found on the black market or developed, generated, and tested by...yet again, our loving government. I mean you remember the secret government group known as the Initiative that is supposed to not be real? Well, we all know better now don't we."

"They are claiming it doesn't exist?"

"Why would they admit to it? A secret group of elite members of the armed forces doing experiment's and tests on the evil and undead? Come one, they would never actually say they were in charge of an organization like that. So it's not farfetched to assume that they had the ability to develop a compound that could get their undead operatives into sticky situations." Mike looked up and smiled at his Wiccan friend. Connor remained silent as he watched the two friends.

"Where did it come from?"

"Well, I'm not entirely sure, I will have to do a few more tests but I'm positive that the serum I gave you will counteract the effects of Wolfram & Hart's dream drug."

"Do you think Wolfram & Hart were the ones who developed it?" Willow asked.

"I wouldn't be surprised. I got a look at the facilities when dad was in control, the labs they had were pretty high tech. Fred sure did come up with a lot of interesting things." Connor offered.

"Remind me when this is all over to find out where they make such drugs. God knows how many vampires are walking around in the real world thanks to Wolfram & Hart."

"Note taken." Connor said. Willow focused back on Mike and crossed her arms.

"Okay, so we stop the drug ingestion, what does that do?"

"Well, it should revert him back to his vampiric form."

"Isn't that dangerous? I mean, he's been like a human for three years. Wouldn't it be dangerous to simply stop the drug intake now? Shouldn't we like, capture him, and then force him to revert to form?" Connor asked.

"The boy brings up a good point. We can't just stop it; we need to make sure it's in a controlled environment, just in case. It would be a really bad idea to have Angelus unleashed on the world because we are trying to screw Wolfram & Hart, or the Firsts, big plans." Willow said.

"So bring him here. I'll do it myself. Besides, I'd like to get my hands on the real deal to see what this drug can really do." Connor put a hand on Mike's shoulder and squeezed.

"You want to experiment on my dad?" He asked, nicely.

"Not experiment, just observe." Mike said unfazed by Connor's threatening attempt at violence.

"Not likely." Connor said releasing the man's body. Willow smiled.

"Calm down. No one is going to observe your dad. But Mike has a point. So is there any way to accelerate the process and get him to crack a little before we abduct him?"

"Nope. That serum is hardcore. I like to toy with people's brain so trust me when I say, as soon as that is injected into him, his world is going to come crashing down around all of us."

"Okay, so kidnap it is." Connor said.

"Well, thanks Mike. We'll be back with our package." Willow said turning away. Mike stood quickly.

"Sure thing, but please remember, the keep up with the spell I gave you and the herbs. The more you can make him remember before we give him that drug, the better."

"Why's that?" Connor asked.

"That way we don't overload his brain and it doesn't kill him."

"Good call." Connor turned and followed Willow out the door.

--

Buffy awoke and looked at the clock that glowed 2:30 a.m. She rolled over on her side and looked into the face of the love of her life. Angel, Liam, slept soundly beside her as she gently traced the side of his face. He stirred slightly but continued to slumber on. She had spoken to Willow three hours before and got the rundown of everything they had learned. When she found out what they were doing to him, her first instinct was to dump the entire bottle down the sink. Willow had managed to convince her to allow him to continue to take the medication. Willow had asked her to look through his cupboards to find out how much garlic was there. Buffy nearly laughed at her but as Willow explained, the garlic would allow them to know how extensive the damage was to Angel's system. As it turned out, there was no garlic in the house and the last time they had made dinner, he'd avoided the garlic all together. When she told Willow this, Willow was unsure of what it really meant but she took it as a sign that the medication didn't work on covering up everything. Buffy continued to watch Angel sleep as she slowly slipped out of bed and headed back to the kitchen. The one thing Willow had said was to keep trying to stimulate his memories. Buffy pulled Angel's shirt over her head and headed out of the bedroom to the kitchen where she mixed up the same awkward concoction that would cause Angel to remember something. She said a few words and lit the powder. Moving back to the room, Buffy slipped into bed and wrapped her arms around his large frame. She nuzzled her head into his shoulder and closed her eyes breathing deeply. The nice thing about being the Slayer was that she knew how to control her mind and her thoughts. Moving through her most cherished memories with Angel, Buffy choose a night that she would never forget...

"_Don't touch him!" Angel screamed as Buffy kicked out in front of her. Liam felt like he was floating; like he was watching another world and another life. He watched as Buffy got out of the arms of captors and raced into his. She looked at him and pointed to a hole in the ground. The people surrounding them looked a lot like Tiffany when she'd gone crazy in his office._

"_This way." Buffy said as she pulled at his arm and they jumped down. A dark haired woman who looked very familiar looked at her "friends" angrily._

"_Go!" She shouted pointing after the couple. Liam felt his body tingle; it was like he couldn't control it. He had jumped down the hole and followed her. Rolling, he stood and followed Buffy behind a door within in the sewer. He stood in close proximity to Buffy and breathed her in deeply. It was strange; her scent seemed more profound than it usually did. The vanilla scent of her skin was so much stronger than what he had smelt before. Not only that, but the blood pounding in her system seemed to peek his interest more than the intoxicating scent of her skin. They listened as the men who were following them moved passed the door and down the sewer. Buffy looked up at him and motioned for him to join her. She opened the door and went for the ladder to their right. They climbed up and came out to a black night and pouring rain. He put the cover back on the man hole and took her hand._

"_Come on, we have to get inside." He said to her. Together they ran away from the man hole and the cemetery. His heart should be pounding in his chest, but it wasn't. His breathing should be short, but he laboured on unfazed. Finally, the pair arrived at the entrance to a small apartment building. Angel dug into his pockets and pulled out a key. He trust it into the lock and pushed the door open. With the door closed behind them, he finally knew it was safe. The moved down a small hallway then he opened a second door into what appeared to be his apartment. Liam was amazed at how much he recognized; the art work, the books on the shelf, the furniture, everything was his. His body moved to turn on a light as Buffy closed the door. Her body was shaking; she must be cold. Angel pulled his coat off then turned to face her. She was standing close to him as she attempted to warm herself but her hands. Angel put his hands on her shoulders._

"_You're shaking like a leaf." He said._

"_I'm cold." Buffy responded with a shutter in her voice. Angel moved away from her and grabbed some close from his closet. He handed them to her._

"_Here, put these on and get under the covers, just to warm up." Buffy nodded._

"_Okay." She moved away from him and headed towards his small bedroom. Liam willed himself to stay but his body moved and followed her into the poorly lit bedroom. She sat down on the small bed and looked up at him with innocent eyes. She waited until he turned his back._

"_Sorry." He said to her as his back faced her. Sure that he wasn't looking, Buffy began to slowly undress herself. The skin on her back pulled and caused her to wince. She knew it wasn't a big deal but she couldn't stop herself from making a sound._

"_What?" Angel asked. Buffy silently beat herself up for not saying anything, but her heart began to race. She moved her camisole away from her and tried to make it sound like it was nothing._

"_Oh, it's nothing. I just have a cut or something."_

"_Can I...let me see." Angel said. Angel could feel Buffy's pulse quicken as she moved to cover herself up. Angel could hear the rustling of the bed covers as she repositioned herself. With her cami over her body, Buffy pushed some hair behind her ear and spoke._

"_Okay." Angel turned slowly and moved towards her. His heart should be racing, but it wasn't. He felt as calm as a windless day in Ireland. He sat down on the bed next to her; she moved slightly so her back was to him. Slowly, Angel put his right hand on her shoulder and slid his left hand under the strap of her tank. Gently, he moved the material down her shoulder and looked at the tiny cut on her back. Her breath caught in her throat and her pulse raced. Angel swallowed heavily and held onto her arms._

"_It's already closed." He commented. He could feel her body vibrate as she tried to fight back tears. Without hesitation, she leaned back into his body and fell hard against his body. He could feel every inch of her; every breath she took, every move she made; it was like he had ESPN when it came to what she wanted and what she was feeling. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. She put her head on his shoulder and finally allowed her tears to overcome her._

"_You almost went away today."_

"_We both did." Angel commented._

"_Angel, I feel that if I lost you...but you're right though, we can never be sure of anything." She said through her tears._

"_Shhh," Angel said. He moved slightly and cleared his throat again, "I..." He stopped short as Buffy turned to face him and held his eyes. This had been the second time he'd tried to tell her something tonight; she was ready to hear what he wanted to say._

"_You what?" Buffy asked. Angel cleared his throat again; this was it._

"_I...I love you. I try not to but I can't stop." The words came out of his mouth before he knew what was happening. He'd never felt this way about anyone before; not when he was alive, nor when he was turned. He loved this woman, more than anything. It was dangerous telling her, but there was no way to hold it back anymore. A smile crossed her lips as she pulled his face up with her small hands to look at her._

"_Me too, I can't either." Buffy moved towards him and kissed her eagerly. She moved closer to him intensifying her kiss, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She pulled herself in this lap and kissed him hungrily. Angel pulled away slightly; something in him screamed that they had to stop. His mind told him no, his body screamed yes. It had been hundreds of years since he'd felt this; he wanted her now more than ever. Angel broke the kiss and spoke._

"_Buffy, maybe we shouldn't." Buffy grabbed his face and held him. She shook her head._

"_Don't. Just kiss me." The phrase stuck out in Liam's mind. Hadn't she said that the first night they met? Buffy kissed him again and this time, Angel didn't stop. They fell towards the bed and Angel held her close...the dream shifted. It was another night; another time. Buffy looked slightly older and she was had concern on her face. Angel approached the bed as she slept on. He sat down and took hold of her hand. Her eyes opened as she sat up slowly and climbed into his lap. Buffy kissed him and held his body to hers. There was something different here; the first part of the dream felt like it had happened. This one felt like it was a dream within a dream. As they made love, Angel felt his body change. He felt a rage appear within him that was just waiting to burst out. The scene seemed to slow as Angel shifted them, rolling so that he rested on top of her small frame. Everything moved into slow motion as he kissed her neck. Then, he saw them. It was impossible to actually see them, but they stood there. Two men with X's where their eyes should be. It was as if they were waiting for something. Angel continued to make love to Buffy reaching up her arms; without reason, Angel clamped down her wrists and Buffy cried out. Angel sat up and his face turned into the most demonic thing he'd ever seen. Angel held her arms tight then bit down on her neck drinking in her blood...Buffy screamed..._

Liam woke suddenly, the screaming continued. Underneath him was Buffy; he had hold of her wrists and shock registered in her eyes. Liam let go and sat up. His heart was racing, his pulse pounding. It registered with him that he must have been holding his breath; slowly he allowed himself to breath. He moved off of Buffy and lay against the headboard. He ran his hands through his hair and watched as the petite blonde got up and looked at him. The sheet that had been covering her fell away revealing her body. Liam thought back to his dream, it had all felt so real. Every moment, every word. What was wrong with him? Ever since he'd met this girl something had been off. He looked at her and sighed heavily. She moved towards him and put a hand on his face.

"Are you okay?" She asked. Liam held out his hand and held her face. She leaned into his hand and smiled. Her wrist was red from where he was holding her down.

"I'm sorry."

"No big. I'm okay. Are you okay?" She asked him again.

"It was the dream I had. It was so real, incredibly vivid." He commented. Buffy didn't want to let on that she knew; she'd been there. She straddled him and held his face in her hands. She lifted his lips to meet hers; she kissed him lightly then placed her forehead on his.

"Tell me about it." She said. Liam's breathing levelled as a whole new feeling came over him. He put his hands on her hips and pulled her closer. Liam kissed her again and flipped them. Buffy laughed and wrapped her legs around his hips.

"How about I show you instead?" He said to her. Buffy smiled and kissed him. An hour later, Buffy was, yet again, nestled in his arms trailing a finger up and down his bicep. Liam breathed in her hair and allowed himself to fall asleep. There was something about this girl that he knew was off. What he did know was that he wanted her; more than he'd wanted anything in the world. Buffy nestled back into him and closed her eyes; that was enough dreaming for one night.

"Sleep." Buffy said. Liam smiled beside her and slowly closed his eyes. Luckily, his mind seemed to be empty allowing sleep to overtake him.


End file.
